Yoshinobu Yamamoto after his first Classic game: Must not relax, praises Shohei Ohtani's grand slam for boosting momentum

The 2026 World Baseball Classic Group C games commenced on March 6 at Tokyo Dome, with Samurai Japan playing against Taiwan in their initial game. With the momentum sparked by Shohei Ohtani's grand slam, Japan achieved a 13-0 "mercy rule" win after seven innings, successfully claiming an opening victory. Starting pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Japan's ace, threw 2.2 innings without a hit or runs allowed, securing the first win of this Classic and marking the beginning of Japan's championship defense campaign.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who plays for the Los Angeles Dodgers, displayed dominant control from the start, using fastballs over 150 km/h to consistently suppress Taiwan's batting lineup, with his fastest pitch reaching 98 mph (approximately 158 km/h). He retired all batters in the first inning with three strikeouts. Although he walked the first batter in the second inning, he subsequently induced a double play via a grounder to third base and then handled a ground ball to second base to smoothly resolve the threat.

In the third inning, Yamamoto's control wavered; after two outs, he consecutively walked batters, loading the bases, prompting Japan to replace him with Rakuten pitcher Shohei Fujita. Yamamoto used 53 pitches in this outing, completing 2.2 innings without a hit, recording two strikeouts and three walks, yet successfully preventing any runs.

Regarding his performance, Yamamoto stated: "The start went smoothly, but I kept reminding myself not to relax. The increase in walks later definitely requires reflection. However, the team winning is the most important thing."

The pivotal moment of the game occurred in the bottom of the second inning when Shohei Ohtani hit a grand slam to give Japan the first lead. Yamamoto also praised the significance of this hit: "It's actually very difficult to score the first point in the opening game. That home run instantly shifted the game's momentum to Japan's side; it was truly impressive."

In this game, Yamamoto reunited with catcher Kenji Wakatsuki, his former partner from the Orix era who had won the "Best Pitcher-Catcher Combination Award" three consecutive times. Yamamoto expressed: "It's been a long time since we teamed up, and doing so on the Classic stage is really joyful." Wakatsuki noted that Yamamoto has evolved further: "The power of his fastball is completely different from when he was in Japan."

After the game, when the Japanese team lined up to acknowledge the fans, following Shohei Ohtani's gesture, Yoshinobu Yamamoto led the entire team in thanking the packed audience at Tokyo Dome. He said: "The unity in the stadium gave me great strength. Being able to wear the Japanese national team jersey again, stand on the field, and win the game is truly joyful, and I am very grateful for the fans' support."

Recalling the previous Classic, Yoshinobu Yamamoto started against Australia in the group stage, pitching 4 innings with 8 strikeouts and only one hit allowed without runs, and then relieved against Mexico in the semifinals, pitching 3.1 innings with 2 runs allowed, securing one win across two appearances with an ERA of 2.45. In this tournament, as Japan strives for consecutive championships, Yamamoto remains regarded as the core ace of the pitching staff.