April 7, following 4-1 Dodgers victory over the Cubs at Wrigley Field in Chicago
On-field interview with Kirsten Watson after Yoshinobu Yamamoto picks up his first victory in the big leagues
Watson congratulates Yamamoto on his first W in the majors.
Yamamoto: “I was able to pitch well in my previous game and keep it going this time as well, but I’m thrilled to come out of this with the victory.”
Watson asked how he navigated the bases-loaded, no-out jam in the first inning with catcher Austin Barnes.
Y.Y.: “I was trying to paint the corners a little too much in the first inning and put runners on, but once I got into a jam, I was able to attack in the strike zone and managed to get out of trouble.”
Said Yamamoto when asked about how it was to face Seiya Suzuki, his former Samurai Japan teammate on the Olympic team: “For us to face each other right off the bat at the start of the season – I was kind of happy and looked forward to it. As for the results, the pitches didn’t go exactly where I had intended, but they ended up in good locations, by chance, and I was fortunate in getting him out.”
Shohei Ohtani and Shota Imanaga, also on the WBC championship team last season with Yamamoto, face off in the next game, and Watson asked how he’ll take in that matchup.
Y.Y.: “I’m really looking forward to it, and because I don’t have to pitch, I going to be watching every second and I hope Shohei hits a massive home run.”
JOHN E. GIBSON is a fluent Japanese speaker who has been covering Nippon Professional Baseball for more than 20 years. He hosts a weekly podcast [on iTunes and Google Podcasts] and is a knowledgeable writer/sports editor at The Japan News
yakyujohn@gmail.com
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On-field interview with Kirsten Watson after Yoshinobu Yamamoto picks up his first victory in the big leagues
Watson congratulates Yamamoto on his first W in the majors.
Yamamoto: “I was able to pitch well in my previous game and keep it going this time as well, but I’m thrilled to come out of this with the victory.”
Watson asked how he navigated the bases-loaded, no-out jam in the first inning with catcher Austin Barnes.
Y.Y.: “I was trying to paint the corners a little too much in the first inning and put runners on, but once I got into a jam, I was able to attack in the strike zone and managed to get out of trouble.”
Said Yamamoto when asked about how it was to face Seiya Suzuki, his former Samurai Japan teammate on the Olympic team: “For us to face each other right off the bat at the start of the season – I was kind of happy and looked forward to it. As for the results, the pitches didn’t go exactly where I had intended, but they ended up in good locations, by chance, and I was fortunate in getting him out.”
Shohei Ohtani and Shota Imanaga, also on the WBC championship team last season with Yamamoto, face off in the next game, and Watson asked how he’ll take in that matchup.
Y.Y.: “I’m really looking forward to it, and because I don’t have to pitch, I going to be watching every second and I hope Shohei hits a massive home run.”
JOHN E. GIBSON is a fluent Japanese speaker who has been covering Nippon Professional Baseball for more than 20 years. He hosts a weekly podcast [on iTunes and Google Podcasts] and is a knowledgeable writer/sports editor at The Japan News
yakyujohn@gmail.com