"I bring a packed lunch from home and eat it in the car."
The offseason routine of Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the Los Angeles Dodgers' starting pitcher and last year's World Series MVP, was revealed.
Yamamoto signed a 12-year, $325 million contract with the Dodgers (about 470 billion won) and began playing in the 2024 season. In his first season he appeared in 18 games with a 7-2 record and a 3.00 earned run average, and last year he made 30 steady appearances, going 12-8 with a 2.49 earned run average.
Yamamoto, who uniquely never missed a spot in the starting rotation and led the team to the postseason, proved his value on the World Series stage. Playing in his second World Series since 2024, he became the leading contributor to the championship with a dominant performance of 3-0 in three games (two starts) and a 1.02 earned run average.
After an outstanding season, he is preparing for his third big league season. Meanwhile, Jang Hyun-seok, a pitcher from Yongma High School who drew attention as the "second Park Chan-ho," is preparing for the new season alongside Yamamoto.
Coach Seok Ji-hyung, who appeared on Lee Dae-ho's channel, explained the situation in which Jang Hyun-seok began training with Yamamoto. Coach Seok said, "Jang Hyun-seok started working out with Yamamoto, and they said they needed an interpreter," explaining how he came to meet Yamamoto.
Coach Seok then shared his impressions of seeing Yamamoto's offseason training schedule up close. Coach Seok said, "Yamamoto's training methods are different from the conventional methods we think of. So to introduce variation, Jang Hyun-seok talked with Yamamoto in the U.S., and Yamamoto said, 'Let's try it together in the offseason,' so he went to Japan."
Coach Seok said, "In addition to the well-known spear throwing, bridge position and handstands, there are more than 200 motions," adding, "The daily routine starts at the center at 9 a.m. The center is very small, about eight tatami mats, and from the floor Yamamoto and about four other players perform various movements together until around 11:30 a.m."
He continued, "In the afternoon they go straight to the ballpark. For lunch they all eat the packed lunches they each brought in the car," and added, "Since I didn't have a car I borrowed Yamamoto's car and rode with him, and Yamamoto also brought a packed lunch. I thought he would eat something different, but he brought the same kind of packed lunch from home and ate it in the car."
Yamamoto solves lunch that way and then spends the afternoon throwing in the ballpark, throwing the spear and exercising. Yamamoto is one of the pitchers who attracts the attention of baseball fans around the world. After reaching the top of the World Series last year and becoming MVP, he built a brilliant career. He is a star among stars, but when it comes to meals he attracts attention with ordinariness rather than glamour.
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