Los Angeles Dodgers Launch Quest for Third Straight Championship, Yoshinobu Yamamoto Named Opening Day Starter for Second Consecutive Year

He delivered the final out to secure the Dodgers' championship defense, and now he will take the mound first to kick off the team's pursuit of a third consecutive title. Manager Dave Roberts officially announced today that Yoshinobu Yamamoto will start on Opening Day for the second straight year. The Dodgers' regular season begins on March 26 (U.S. time), when the team will raise a flag commemorating their 2025 championship before facing the Diamondbacks.

Last year, Yamamoto made his first career Opening Day start at Tokyo Dome against the Chicago Cubs; this will be his first at Dodger Stadium.

"Considering the honor of being the Opening Day starter, it was a fairly easy decision," Roberts said. "He pitched our road opener last year. But having him start the home opener, I think, will be very special."

Expectations are high for Yoshinobu Yamamoto entering his third MLB season. The 27-year-old right-hander emerged as the Dodgers' ace in 2025, being the only pitcher in the rotation who did not miss any starts. He recorded 12 wins and 8 losses over 30 starts with a 2.49 ERA, finishing third in the NL Cy Young Award voting behind unanimous winner Paul Skenes and runner-up Cristopher Sánchez.

But it was in the postseason that Yamamoto truly cemented his legacy with the Dodgers. In just his second year with the team, he pitched complete games in Game 2 of the NLCS and Game 2 of the World Series, becoming the first pitcher since Curt Schilling of the Diamondbacks in 2001 to throw consecutive complete games in the playoffs, and the first Dodgers pitcher to do so since Orel Hershiser in 1988.

Two days after his World Series complete game, Yamamoto warmed up late into the night during extra innings in World Series Game 3. He was slated to pitch in the 19th inning, but Freddie Freeman ended the game with a walk-off home run in the 18th. Yamamoto eventually pitched on short rest: after throwing 96 pitches over six innings in Game 6, he came back the next day to pitch the final 2.2 innings in Game 7.

Yamamoto earned three wins across the Dodgers' four World Series victories, rightly claiming the World Series MVP award.

This spring, Yamamoto left Dodgers camp for several weeks to defend another championship with Samurai Japan in the World Baseball Classic. However, he and the team fell short this time, losing to Venezuela in the quarterfinals last Sunday—marking Yamamoto's first loss in a knockout game he started since Game 6 of the Japan Series in 2021. In his two Classic starts against Taiwan and Venezuela, Yamamoto allowed two runs (both earned) over 6.2 combined innings. As of today, Yamamoto has not yet returned to Camelback Ranch, but Roberts expects him to make one more spring training start to prepare for Opening Day.

During last season's playoffs, Yamamoto's memorable phrase "Losing is not an option" resonated within the team, becoming a mantra throughout the championship run. It fits perfectly, as the Dodgers always favor the winning odds when their ace starts. Now, launching the quest for a third straight title, they expect Yamamoto to set the tone from the very beginning.