Yoshinobu Yamamoto receives Japan's top professional sports award! Actively preparing for next year's World Baseball Classic

Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the Japanese pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers, was awarded the 55th "Japan Professional Sports Award" today, December 17, receiving the Prime Minister's Cup and NHK Prize, which represent the highest honors. About whether he will take part in next year's World Baseball Classic (WBC), he said, "If everything goes well with my preparation, I think I will be able to play."

The "Japan Professional Sports Award" recognizes the most outstanding athletes and teams in professional sports each year. Yamamoto is the first MLB player to win this award individually in seven years, following Shohei Ohtani in 2018 (then with the Los Angeles Angels).

During a joint media interview after receiving the award, Yamamoto shared his thoughts on participating in next year's Classic. He said, "Nothing is confirmed yet. But the last tournament was an excellent event, and as a player, I felt great joy. Competing again on such a stage would be the ideal scenario." This statement showed his strong willingness to participate.

Regarding his current fatigue level and physical condition, Yamamoto said, "I have already started training for the next season. If all adjustments go well, I believe I can compete. After pitching a lot this season, as long as I gradually get back into form as usual, I should be able to play in games."

Yamamoto, receiving this honor for the first time, expressed, "I feel very honored to receive such a remarkable award. This season, starting the opener in Tokyo and experiencing the World Series for the second time in October was a season where I deeply felt my own growth." He also mentioned his outlook for the new season: "Next season, I will live up to this award and continue to give my best effort."

Looking back on the 2025 season when he helped the Dodgers achieve back-to-back championships, he delivered three wins and an outstanding 1.02 ERA in the World Series, becoming the second Japanese player after Hideki Matsui to win the World Series MVP. Yamamoto said, "Experiencing a second World Series championship is truly an irreplaceable and amazing experience. Having had a similar experience last year, I felt further growth. I hope to turn this second championship experience into even more development for the next season."

Regarding the offseason moves of several key Nippon Professional Baseball players expressing their intention to challenge MLB through the posting system, Yamamoto commented, "There are really more and more Japanese players now. I think fans are very excited. I am looking forward to seeing more Japanese players competing together on the highest stage."