Another day. Another highly anticipated spring training debut for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
A day after Shoehi Ohtani played in his first Cactus League game for the Dodgers, smacking a two-run home run in his third at-bat, Japanese pitching star Yoshinobu Yamamoto is scheduled to make his first start on the mound for LA.
Yamamoto will face the defending World Series champion Texas Rangers in Surprise, Arizona. First pitch from Surprise Stadium is scheduled for 12:05 p.m. PST. The game will be televised by SportsNet LA.
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The Dodgers signed the 25-year-old right-hander to a 12-year, $325 million contract in December. The deal is the largest for a pitcher in terms of years and value in Major League Baseball history. They also paid a $50.6 million posting fee to Yamamoto's previous team, the Orix Buffaloes, ESPN reported.
Yamamoto was the MVP of Japan's Pacific League and winner of the league's Eiji Sawamura Award as its best starting pitcher each of the past three seasons.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said last week the team hopes to have Yamamoto and Tyler Glasnow start the two regular-season games in South Korea against the San Diego Padres on March 20-21.
On Tuesday, two-time MPV Ohtani played in his first spring training game since signing a record $700 million, 10-year contract. The 9-6 win over the White Sox marked the first game for Ohtani since right elbow surgery in September that will keep him from pitching this year.
He was the designated hitter on Tuesday, a role he's expected to fill all season. Ohtani batted second in the lineup, sandwiched between former MVPs Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman.
City News Service contributed to this report.
