Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts confirmed on Tuesday that the club will start Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki next week when they take on the Chicago Cubs in Japan as part of the Tokyo Series, according to various reporters (including “Dodger Talk” host Dave Vassegh).
Those games, which will take place on March 18-19, will technically serve as the first of Major League Baseball’s regular season. The rest of the league will begin play about a week later on March 27.
The announcement should come as no surprise. Roberts had all but tipped his hand last month, stating that it was “fair to say” Yamamoto would be in line to start game one — he’s slated to go against fellow Japanese native Shota Imanaga, who the Cubs tabbed for the start a few weeks back. Roberts had also said the Dodgers wanted to use Sasaki as a starter during the Tokyo Series, though he offered the caveat that it would depend on how he fared during his ramp-up period.
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Yamamoto compiled a 3.00 ERA (129 ERA+) and a 4.77 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 18 starts during his rookie season. Sasaki, meanwhile, is entering his “rookie” season after joining the Dodgers over the winter as an international amateur free agent.
It’s worth noting that Yamamoto, Sasaki, and Imanaga won’t be the only Japanese players present on the Dodgers and Cubs rosters next week. Reigning National League MVP Shohei Ohtani and Seiya Suzuki will also be in the fold. Ohtani, still working his way back from injury, was not a candidate to start either game as a pitcher.
In other Dodgers rotation news, Roberts noted that Dustin May will begin the season as the fifth starter, with Tony Gonsolin heading to the injured list after hurting his back lifting weights. While Roberts declined to reveal who the Dodgers intend to start when they open their home schedule on March 27 against the Detroit Tigers, he did acknowledge that Blake Snell would seem to line up for it.
