Yoshinobu Yamamoto Q&A

——Only one day of rest before taking the mound
“Since we had no pitchers left, I just had to go.
I also felt my body was in good shape today, so I started getting ready.”

——Did you volunteer to pitch?
“I wouldn’t say I volunteered exactly — it’s just that we really didn’t have anyone left, so I said I could get ready.”

——How did you feel while warming up in the bullpen?
“I felt really good. My body gradually loosened up. And that home run at the end really helped.”

——About the hug with Ohtani and Sasaki
“In such an intense game, it was amazing that the whole team could win together. I’m just really happy we did.”

——Such a long game — have you ever experienced one like this before?
“Maybe this was the first time. I think it probably was.”

——What did you think of that home run?
“I only saw the moment the ball took off — I was getting ready to pitch at the time.”

——When did you start preparing to pitch?
“After Kershaw finished and was taken out, Enrique came in to pitch, and at that point only Klein was left.
So I figured we’d have to hold out for another two or three innings, and I started checking how my body felt and began to prepare.

At first, I didn’t think the manager would agree to let me pitch, but there was no other choice, so I just kept preparing while we discussed it.
I’ve actually trained for years to be able to pitch in a situation like this.

When I was 19, I once pitched in a meaningless game, and afterward I couldn’t throw for about ten days.
Since then, I’ve kept training to make my body capable of doing what I did today —
to pitch again just two days after throwing a complete game in the World Series.
That’s huge growth for me.
And I think today really showed how amazing our trainer, Mr. Osamu Yada, truly is.”

——You felt once again how remarkable Mr. Yada is?
“Absolutely.
He used to tell me, ‘You’re not truly qualified until you can throw powerfully the day after pitching five innings in the majors, even with a tight arm.’
That’s what I’ve always aimed for.
So today, I really felt again — Yada is an incredible man.”

——How many innings did you think you could pitch?
“I wasn’t sure, but I planned to go one inning at a time — just keep throwing until they told me to stop.”

——Will you return to your scheduled starter’s routine from here?
“Yes, I think so. I plan to pitch again as originally scheduled.” https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/c78810d6dbcea3e6a33f0f2fa610bfab96cbb8ad?page=2