Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani and right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto will make their Cactus League debuts.
The two are from Japanese professional baseball, which shook the free agent market in December last year. Otani (29), who is also working as a pitcher, set new free agent contracts with 10 years and 700 million dollars, and right-hander Yamamoto (25) set new free agent contracts with 12 years and 325 million dollars.
The Arizona Cactus League kicked off on the 23rd (Korea time). However, the two superstars, who are receiving attention from the media and fans, have yet to show their presence. Ohtani will appear in the game against the Chicago White Sox on the 28th, and Yamamoto will appear in the game against the defending World Series champion Texas Rangers on the 29th.
Designated hitter Ohtani will play in the Chicago White Sox game at home Camelback Ranch on the 28th. The Dodgers have never used the lineup of top hitters, including Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, and Shohei Ohtani, who are considered the strongest top hitters in the Cactus League.
Ohtani, who underwent Tommy John surgery last year, had his last official game against Oakland on Saturday. Ohtani is the first batter to become the home run champion (44) of the American League without adding one home run during September. He joined Arizona camp and made two live batting performances. He showed off his power by hitting home runs in five consecutive games.
The Dodgers played five exhibition games and two exhibition games at Camelback Ranch, its current home, on the 27th. 11,623 people attended the game against the San Diego Padres and 9,587 people attended the game against the Oakland Athletics. It will be interesting to see how many spectators will gather until Ohtani’s debut game. The largest number of spectators in Kemelback Ranch history was 13,583 against the Seattle Mariners on March 27, 2010.
Yamamoto was announced as the starting pitcher for the MLB Seoul Series on March 20 and 21. He will make his first appearance in the Dodgers’ uniform on March 29. It is a surprise visit to Texas home. He announced two innings of pitching. Since it is the home game for defending WS champion Texas, most of the starters will play. This is Yamamoto’s first MLB test. In the 2023 World Baseball Classic finals, Shota Imanaga (Chicago Cubs) started and Ohtani finished.
“Yamamoto is excited and very focused,” manager Dave Roberts said. “It’s really nice that new players are adjusting to the team,” he said, expressing anticipation.
In bullpen pitching, Yamamoto showed off his control by throwing various pitches that fall below the knee. His physical flexibility has become a hot topic of conversation through the video. There is a good reason why the Dodgers is paying an annual salary that exceeds that of American League Cy Young pitcher Gerrit Cole (New York Yankees).안전놀이터
