MLB Playoffs: Rookie pitcher tipped pitches in postseason debut

The Los Angeles Dodgers made a surprise last-minute swap of their starting pitchers for Game 1 and Game 2 on Thursday. President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman said rookie Yoshinobu Yamamoto, not veteran Jack Flaherty, would get the ball in Saturday's National League Division Series opener against the San Diego Padres.

When the Padres ambushed Yamamoto with a walk and three hits — including a three-run home run by Manny Machado — it was easy to jump to conclusions: Momentum got the better of the 26-year-old right-hander.

Not so, said Dodgers manager Dave Roberts.

“There were some things with his glove that gave away his pitches,” Roberts said of Yamamoto. “We will sort this out internally. They had a lot of good hits against him in three innings.”

If Yamamoto did indeed use his glove position to signal which throws the Padres' batters would see, he apparently corrected the error in the second inning. The Padres didn't score.

Then in the third inning, the Padres hit doubles off Fernando Tatis Jr. and in the fourth inning Yamamoto was out of the game.

Diagnosing Yamamoto's pitch-tipping problem didn't even require a front-row seat. Some savvy internet experts watching at home also noticed the problem.

For his part, Yamamoto said he tried to use the added intensity of his first playoff game to his advantage. He didn't specifically say after the game that he was tipping pitches.

“I felt the passion of the audience,” he said through an interpreter. “I wanted to use that to turn it into something positive for myself. But unfortunately I didn’t succeed.”

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Yamamoto signed a 12-year, $325 million contract with the Dodgers last December after leaving Japan. He missed a lot of time due to a shoulder injury, only making 18 starts in the regular season.

When he was on the mound, Yamamoto was most effective. He finished his rookie season 7-2, with a 3.00 ERA and 105 strikeouts in 90 innings.

Because the Dodgers made sure to give him at least five days' rest between starts, he was unable to pitch twice in the best-of-five NLDS unless he appeared in Game 1 and Game 5.

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Despite his struggles in Game 1, Yamamoto will likely start Game 5 if needed, Roberts said.

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