Dodgers’ Yoshinobu Yamamoto has a first-inning problem
Yoshinobu Yamamoto struggled again in the first inning during the Dodgers' 8-3 win over the Houston Astros, allowing two runs early. Despite the poor start, he settled in and recorded a season-high eight strikeouts over six innings. Yamamoto acknowledged his first-inning issues, which have persisted since his arrival from Japan, and expressed a need for improvement.
- ▪Yamamoto has a 4.60 ERA in the first inning over 55 major-league starts.
- ▪This season, his first-inning ERA is 7.71, while his overall ERA is 3.09.
- ▪Without first-inning runs, Yamamoto's ERA would be 2.20.
- ▪He allowed two runs in the first inning against the Astros but gave up only one run from the second to sixth innings.
- ▪Yamamoto has pitched more than six innings in just two of his seven starts this season.
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Dylan Hernandez MLB Dodgers’ Yoshinobu Yamamoto has a first-inning problem By Dylan Hernandez Published May 5, 2026, 9:28 a.m. ET Oops, he did it again. A single to right field. A walk. A run scoring on a two-out single. Another run scoring on a wild pitch. Like in two of his three previous starts, Yoshinobu Yamamoto was scored on in the first inning on Monday. The two runs Yamamoto allowed in the opening frame against the Houston Astros turned out to be of minimal importance, as the Dodgers’ offense awakened in an 8-3 victory at Daikin Park. But the couple of early runs charged to Yamamoto point to a larger problem he’s been unable to solve since his move from Japan two years ago. Yoshinobu Yamamoto was scored on in the first inning — like in two of three of his previous starts.
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