Is Yoshinobu Yamamoto playing in the Seoul Series?

While many baseball fans in Seoul will hope to catch a glimpse of Shohei Ohtani as the Dodgers face the Padres in South Korea to open the MLB season, he is not the only Asian baseball celebrity on this team. Yoshinobu Yamamoto traveled with the Dodgers from Los Angeles to Seoul, as well.

The Dodgers and Yamamoto agreed to a 12-year, $325 million contract during the free agency signing period this winter. Yamamoto had offers from all around MLB, and turned down a huge contract from the Phillies as well.

This is the highest-paying contract for a pitcher in MLB history. The right-hander had a fantastic career in Japan, winning the Eiji Sawamura Award, given to the best pitcher in Nippon Professional Baseball, in the past three seasons and earning five All-Star selections in seven years.

The Dodgers made some huge free agency signings this offseason, including Yamamoto's friend Shohei Ohtani, who is not expected to pitch in 2024.

When will Yoshinobu Yamamoto debut in the Seoul Series?

Yoshinobu Yamamoto will debut in Major League Baseball during Game 2 of the MLB Tour in Seoul at Gocheok Sky Dome. The Los Angeles Dodgers will start Yamamoto against the San Diego Padres’ Joe Musgrove.

Yamamoto used spring training to adjust his game and acclimate to the MLB. He credits Dodgers' pitching coaches Mark Prior and Connor McGuiness with supporting him through the transition period.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts looks forward to seeing how the adjustments translate throughout the season. He has high hopes for Yamamoto to find some consistency with his breaking ball.

How Yamamoto adjusts to pitching to Major League batters will be a hot topic of the new season. Yamamoto's starts will be must-watch television this season as the United States will get to watch another international talent make his debut in The Show.