GLENDALE, Ariz. – On an otherwise cloudy Monday morning, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts stood among the palms, grapefruit and brilliant bougainvillea and beamed.
Approaching three weeks since pitchers and catchers reported to spring training in the desert, Roberts was on the cusp of seeing the team’s high-profile additions take the field in a game for the first time.
One day after the club announced that new designated hitter Shohei Ohtani would make his Cactus League debut in a home game Tuesday, new right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto was penciled onto the schedule as the starter for Wednesday’s game against the World Series champion Texas Rangers at Surprise.
“It’s great,” Roberts said. “The guys really came into camp excited, very focused. I think the guys that are new have done a great job of assimilating and the guys that have been here have done a great job of incorporating the new players.
“To see them on the field and to play you know, Dodger baseball, it’s been fun. We play every pitch, we play hard, and that was my expectation.”
Ohtani has been putting on a show in batting practices. Yamamoto has been raising awareness in bullpen sessions with an impressive five-pitch arsenal. He had one more bullpen Monday that is expected to be his last before finally facing hitters not wearing the same uniform as his.
It was not as if Yamamoto was leaving a little extra in the tank for the Rangers. Even with a two-inning start in two days, he was the last in his bullpen group to leave the mound.
“I think the most important thing for Yoshinobu is just communicating,” said Roberts, who watched over Monday’s bullpen session. “We want him to be comfortable and thrive and so as he communicates to us, what he’s comfortable (with), what he’s used to doing that’s helpful for our staff and myself. That’s just the most important thing and he’s been great at communicating what he likes to do.”
Reluctant to confirm a schedule for…
Read the full article here
