"It's not really a big concern for me at this point" - Dodgers ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto addresses pitch-tipping scrutiny
Japanese pitching sensation Yoshinobu Yamamoto left everyone impressed with his spring training debut against the Texas Rangers on the road. However, Yamamoto has now grabbed headlines centered around his grip on the ball and potentially tipping off pitches to hitters.
SportsNet LA broadcasters Tim Neverrett and Rick Monday assessed that in Yamamoto's windup, the grip becomes visible as soon as it leaves his left glove. All major league teams may look into it to get an idea of what's to come.
Yamamoto addressed these concerns to the media.
“It’s not really a big concern for me at this point,” Yamamoto said through his interpreter. “As it gets closer to the season, I’ll fix it and talk to the coaches."
“It was the same in Japan. When the season starts, I’ll make those adjustments,” he added.
Since Yamamoto previously pitched in NPB, it's possible that he may not have fine-tuned his action to avoid any tip-offs.
Matt Prior spoke about the tip-off concerns in Yoshinobu Yamamoto's pitching
Ever since the Houston Astros sign-stealing scandal came into the spotlight, teams have delved more into analyzing pitchers' actions and eliminating any potential tip-offs.
Dodgers pitching coach Matt Prior addressed Yoshinobu Yamamoto's tip-off action to the media, saying that they will look into and eliminate that concern.
“It’s a focus just because it has to be because it’s part of the game,” he said. “It’s not a one-off anymore. It’s pretty much every team employing some version of it – whether it’s players switching teams, whether it’s coaches. These guys are really good at it. It’s a focus that’s just part of the game.”
Prior also mentioned that this is not actively practiced in NPB, as to why it has put Yoshinobu Yamamoto's action in the spotlight.
"From my understanding, that’s not something as actively practiced in the NPB. I don’t know if that’s true or not, but that’s my understanding, where obviously over here it’s much more of an active program by pretty much all 30 teams," Prior added.
It's interesting when Prior says that it is an active program carried out by all 30 teams. It hints at where we are in the MLB landscape and how sophisticated one has to be to retain the pitcher's leverage.