Yamamoto Yoshinobu (25), who competed as the Japanese national team in the World Baseball Classic (WBC), unfortunately finished his final appearance in the tournament.

Yamamoto made a relief mound in the 2023 WBC semifinal match against Mexico held at Rondipo Park in Miami, Florida, USA on the 21st (Korean time), recording 3 ⅓ innings, 3 hits, 2 walks, 4 strikeouts and 2 runs.

Yamamoto, the ace representing Japanese baseball, recorded 15 wins and 5 losses with an ERA of 1.68 in 26 games (193 innings) last season, and achieved 4 crowns (many wins, ERA, strikeouts, winning rate) for two consecutive years. Yamamoto, who throws fastballs exceeding 150 km/h and various breaking balls such as splitters, cutters, and curveballs, is a top-class ace who is likely to advance to the major leagues.

Japan fell into a crisis that day when starting pitcher Roki Sasaki hit a three-run home run by Luis Urias in the fourth inning. Japankejjco.com, which gave up the first run with a single home run, waged an all-out war by throwing Yamamoto, who was expected to start as the starting pitcher for the final, to the relief mound.

Yamamoto, who kept the mound from the 5th inning, blocked the Mexican batting line until the 7th inning as expected. However, right after Japan tied the score 3-3, the pitch in the 8th inning began to falter, and he gave up the lead again in vain as Randy Arroza Lena and Alex Verdugo hit consecutive doubles. Yamamoto, who was also hit by Joey Menesis, ended up being replaced by Yuasa Atsuki. Yuasa conceded, and Yamamoto’s conceded also increased.

Yamamoto, who recorded 52 pitches, threw an intense ball with a maximum speed of 96.6 miles (155.5 km). The Mexican hitters couldn’t time Yamamoto’s splitter at all. Of the four strikeouts Yamamoto caught, three were strikeouts using a splitter as a deciding ball.

According to the WBC Pitch Rules, Yamamoto cannot pitch in the final match against the United States. In this tournament, he finished with 2 games 온라인바카라(7⅓ innings) 1 win and an ERA of 2.45.

The Japanese media Yomiuri Shimbun said, “Yamamoto, who took the mound from the 5th inning when he had to pursue 3 points, defended the mound and prepared a foothold for a counterattack. The power of his fastball and the angle of his breaking ball were also impeccable. He struck out every inning until he was demolished in the 8th inning.”

After the tournament, Yamamoto regretted throwing the ball rather hastily right after the score was tied, but he said, “I was able to throw a few balls that I thought were good. He had the best experience in his baseball life so far,” he said, enjoying the victory that day.