Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Is Yoshinobu Yamamoto Playing Tonight?

Dodgers ace is set for his fourth start against the Cubs!

Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Dodgers are back under the lights at Dodger Stadium on Friday night, and yes, Yoshinobu Yamamoto is scheduled to start.

The Japanese sensation will make his fourth appearance of the season as the Dodgers open a weekend series against the Chicago Cubs. First pitch is set for 10:10 p.m. ET, and the game will be broadcast on SportsNet LA and MARQ.

Yamamoto, who signed a blockbuster deal in the 2024 offseason, and after a solid 2024 season: 18 starts, 7 wins, and 2 losses at 3.00, Yoshinobu Yamamoto has been sharp through his first three starts in 2025. He enters Friday night with a 1-1 record, a stellar 1.69 ERA, and 19 strikeouts in 16 2/3 innings. His command and poise have stood out early in the season, unlike last year where he was off to a slightly shaky start.

10 Ks for Yoshinobu Yamamoto. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/W180yEh6PH
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) March 29, 2025

He’ll be opposed by Matthew Boyd, the Cubs’ left-hander making his third start of the campaign. Boyd has been nothing short of dominant so far in his two starts, 11 scoreless innings, 10 strikeouts, and one win without allowing a single run.

ALSO READ: Freddie Freeman Injury Update: When Will Dodgers Star Return?

As a whole, the Dodgers’ pitching staff has been one of the most effective in baseball through the opening weeks of the season:

Team ERA: 3.22, 5th-best in MLB
Strikeouts per 9 innings: 9.4, 5th overall
WHIP: 1.285, Middle of the pack at 15th
Home runs allowed: Just 9, 3rd-fewest in baseball, averaging 0.6 per game

Dodgers

Yoshinobu Yamamoto

Mohsin Baldiwala

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Mohsin Baldiwala is a Master’s student in Journalism and freelance content producer who got hooked on baseball through Seinfeld’s hapless George Costanza. The same reason why he’s a Yankees fan. He writes about sports because he believes it can offer a brief escape from the world’s chaos. Even if that means enduring the heartbreak of the 2024 World Series.