This blog post traces the growth journey of Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who overcame doubts about his small frame to become the world’s highest-paid pitcher through flexibility-focused training and relentless effort. It examines how his choices transformed baseball in Japan and Major League Baseball. It is a record of endless challenge.
In this world, there exists the most expensive pitcher in history, valued at $325 million. His name is Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Yet he was far from the archetype of an ‘elite pitcher’ we typically envision. He was small and unremarkable in stature, repeating handstands and flexibility exercises rather than weight training, and endlessly practicing spear throws at the training ground. Yet now, even the world’s best hitters are emulating his training methods. How did this small, slight boy become the world’s most expensive pitcher? The answer lies in the trajectory of his life.
Yoshino Yamamoto was born in Okayama Prefecture, Japan, in 1998. Thanks to his baseball-loving father, baseball broadcasts constantly filled their home, and he naturally began playing baseball in first grade. Yet, as a child, he wasn’t a player with particularly outstanding talent. He was an average player who moved between various positions depending on the team’s needs, and he himself didn’t envision becoming a professional baseball player. In fact, his future aspiration written in his elementary school graduation album was ‘office worker’.
His middle school years saw no major changes either. When the team faced a shortage of pitchers, he was called to the mound simply because he had briefly pitched in the past. His high school choice was also more a decision dictated by circumstance than a deliberate choice. Yet he possessed one clear strength: he put in more effort than anyone else. Even on his days off, he never put the ball down, spending each day thinking about how he could become stronger.
The turning point came at the end of his freshman year. He had a game where he completely collapsed. Coincidentally, that day, professional scouts had come to watch another player. During the game, he overheard the scouts evaluating him, and their words ignited a fierce fire within the young Yamamoto. Until then, he had simply been a player who worked hard. From this moment on, he began to transform into a player who set clear goals and trained methodically.
After that, his physique began to grow noticeably. His fastball velocity, which had been only 135 km/h, rapidly increased, eventually surpassing 151 km/h. Having grown this way, he recorded a no-hitter in the regional championship final and began to be called one of the ‘Four Greats’. His entry into the pros seemed like only a matter of time. However, unexpectedly, he was contemplating joining an amateur industrial league team instead of going pro. The main reason was an elbow injury and the resulting loss of confidence. While those around him urged him to challenge the pros, he was plagued by the doubt: “Can I really make it in the pros?”
Then, in 2016, the Japanese professional baseball rookie draft took place, and he was ultimately selected by the Orix Buffaloes, marking his entry into the professional world. Even after turning pro, his elbow remained a persistent concern. During this period, a trainer proposed a unique training method that diverged from conventional theory: the ‘spear-throwing pitching technique’. This involved shifting the release point backward and connecting the power of the back, abdomen, and lower body into one unified motion, maximizing whole-body coordination.
However, this training method faced strong opposition from coaches and experts. It diverged significantly from established baseball theory and was deemed highly injury-prone. The opposition was fierce, even reaching his high school mentor, who was asked to dissuade him from the practice. Despite this, Yamamoto believed in his approach. He was convinced this training would make him stronger and systematically developed a tailored training regimen.
Instead of conventional weight training, he chose a regimen centered on bodyweight exercises. He used bridge movements to enhance shoulder and ribcage flexibility, and trained through handstands and rotational exercises to generate power even with stretched muscles. His approach of isolating and training the upper and lower body separately was also unique. Through this process, he gradually began to transform into a complete pitcher.
The result was overwhelming. In 2021, he became the first pitcher in Japanese professional baseball history to win the pitching quadruple crown, leading the Orix Buffaloes to their first league championship in 25 years. He then won the league MVP award unanimously, cementing his status as the undisputed ace. Remarkably, his achievements didn’t stop there. In 2022 and 2023, he consecutively won the pitching quadruple crown, the Sawamura Award, and the league MVP, setting unprecedented records. He even achieved a no-hitter, reaching the pinnacle of Japanese baseball.
Having accomplished everything possible on the Japanese stage, he finally declared his entry into Major League Baseball. Yet another question arose: Could his small frame truly succeed in the Major Leagues? At 178 cm, Yamamoto was clearly smaller in stature compared to Shohei Ohtani or Yu Darvish. Amidst skepticism and anticipation, he challenged the Major Leagues through the posting system and ultimately signed a historic contract with the Dodgers, becoming the most expensive pitcher in the world.
However, his Major League debut season was far from smooth. He endured a difficult start, widely regarded as the worst debut game in Dodgers history. Compounding his struggles, he suffered a shoulder injury during his adaptation process, leading to a lengthy mid-season absence. Yet he refused to stop. His exchange with Shohei Ohtani proved a significant source of strength, and he consistently maintained his training regimen even in the U.S.
His flexibility-focused training particularly influenced his teammates. Players like Mookie Betts and others on the Dodgers showed interest in his methods, with some even learning them directly. This was a scene demonstrating how Japanese pitching philosophy was impacting American baseball. This approach, prioritizing flexibility and movement over massive muscle, made Yamamoto’s pitching even more explosive.
Ultimately, Yoshinobu Yamamoto transcended his limits not through innate talent, but through relentless effort and his own philosophy. Rather than conforming to the world’s standards, he chose a path suited to his own body and potential, and pursued that choice to the very end. His success serves as a testament not to the magnitude of talent, but to the critical importance of the direction and persistence of effort.
