Yamamoto shines in his spring debut

Even though he wasn’t playing, Shohei Ohtani was intrigued enough by Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s exhibition debut Wednesday that he made a 30-minute drive through Phoenix suburbs in a white convertible to show his support for a fellow Japanese star.

Yamamoto put on quite a show. The 25-year-old struck out three batters over two scoreless innings against the defending World Series champion Texas Rangers, giving a glimpse into why the Dodgers believe the right-hander can become a big-league ace.

“I was just trying to do my job, trying to stay calm and focus on what I have to do,” Yamamoto said through an interpreter.

Yamamoto opened by striking out All-star Marcus Semien on six pitches, then gave up Evan Carter’s single before Wyatt Langford grounded into an inning-ending double play.

Yamamoto started the second by striking out Nathaniel Lowe on three pitches and retiring Jonah Heim on a flyout to left. Working with a long, deliberate windup and a fastball that hovered in the mid90s, Yamamoto ended his outing by striking out Leody Taveras on four pitches.

He threw 16 of 19 pitches for strikes, showing the impeccable command he became known for in Japan.

Ohtani was cheering the performance but is apparently a tough critic. When Yamamoto was asked how Ohtani judged the outing, the pitcher grinned and said “so-so.”

Yamamoto has been the less-publicized part of a $1 billion offseason investment by the Dodgers into a pair of Japanese stars. The Dodgers signed Ohtani to a record $700 million, 10-year contract in December and Yamamoto a $325 million, 12year deal a few weeks later.

“I’ve got all support from my Dodgers teammates and they’ve helped me get acclimated,” Yamamoto said. “It’s been easy.”

Listed at 5-foot-10, Yamamoto has been Japan’s most dominant pitchers over the past several seasons, with a 16-6 record and a 1.21 ERA for the Orix Buffaloes in 2023. He has a career 1.72 ERA in Japan in nearly 1,000 innings. His six-pitch repertoire includes a dependable splitter, an effective four-seam fastball and a vicious curveball.

The Dodgers believe he has the talent to be a staff ace in the U.S. and his presence will be vital in 2024 while Ohtani — a rare two-way star — recovers from an elbow injury.

Orioles give minor league deals to Teheran, Wong

The Baltimore Orioles have agreed to minor-league contracts with righthander Julio Teheran and infielder Kolten Wong, with invites to major league spring training.

Both are veterans with more than a decade of big-league experience.

The 33-year-old Teheran is a twotime All-star. He spent last season with Milwaukee and went 3-5 with a 4.40 ERA, making 11 starts. He spent his first nine major league seasons with Atlanta before a year with the Angels and one with Detroit.

Wong is also 33. He played for Seattle and the Dodgers last year, hitting .183 in 87 games. Prior to that, he played two years with Milwaukee and eight in St. Louis.