The gap between his pitches is what makes them work
19.2 mph separates Yamamoto's 4-seam fastball from his curveball, 96.1 against 76.9.
723 and 360 of them respectively.
One pitch of his moves in a way hitters rarely see
Yamamoto's curveball carries 16.5 inches of drop against a spinless ball, the biggest vertical move in his arsenal.
360 thrown, averaging 76.9 mph.
This is the pitch he goes to when he needs the out
With two strikes Yamamoto goes to the splitter: 35.9% of his two-strike pitches, against 22% the rest of the time.
847 two-strike pitches in 2026.
There is one pitch of his that keeps getting hit
Contact off Yamamoto's 4-seam fastball leaves the bat at 90.0 mph, against 82.6 off his cutter.
723 and 414 of them thrown.
He works one part of the zone far more than the rest
Yamamoto lives at the bottom of the zone: his average pitch crosses at 2.12 feet, against a zone that runs 1.5 to 3.5.
2734 located pitches in 2026.
One type of hitter does all the damage against him
Hitters do their damage on his fastballs: a .372 expected average against them, against .301 on his offspeed pitches.
400 of his fastballs thrown.
When he falls behind, hitters know exactly what is coming
Behind in the count Yamamoto throws a fastball 63.8% of the time, against 45.2% when he is ahead.
693 pitches behind in the count, 838 ahead.
One pitch of his runs sideways more than almost anyone's
Yamamoto's sinker moves 14.6 inches toward the third-base side, the biggest horizontal move in his arsenal.
352 thrown, averaging 95.5 mph.
The angle he throws from is unusual, and hitters notice
Yamamoto releases the ball from a low three-quarters slot, about 35 degrees above horizontal and 1.8 feet to the third-base side of the rubber.
2734 tracked release points, averaging 5.3 feet off the ground.
His fastball is the pitch everything else is built on
Yamamoto's 4-seam fastball averages 96.1 mph, and has touched 98.3.
723 thrown, 26.4% of his pitches.
He pitches around the zone once runners are on
Yamamoto throws 38.9% of his pitches in the zone with a runner in scoring position and 44.4% with the bases empty.
131 pitches with a runner in scoring position, 628 with the bases empty.
One pitch of his spins more than almost anyone's
Yamamoto's curveball spins at 2,812 rpm, the highest in his arsenal.
360 thrown in 2026.
His pitches move in ways that fit together
Yamamoto works with 6 pitches: 4-Seam Fastball, Splitter, Cutter and Curveball, and a little else. The 4-seam fastball is 26.4% of everything he throws.
2734 classified pitches in 2026.
How much of the zone he uses depends on the count
Yamamoto puts 59.6% of his pitches in the zone when he is behind and 43.4% when he is ahead.
693 located pitches behind, 838 ahead.
His ball is straighter than it should be
Yamamoto's stuff spins at 2,141 rpm, 27th percentile in the league.
759 pitches in 2026. 27th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 391st in MLB.
He throws about as hard as anybody in the league
Yamamoto averages 90.7 mph across his arsenal, 65th percentile in the league.
759 pitches in 2026. 65th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 189th in MLB.
He lives on the edges rather than over the middle
17.3% of Yamamoto's pitches land in the middle third of the zone, well below what most pitchers give away.
474 of 2734 located pitches.
His velocity drains away as the outing goes on
Yamamoto's fastball averages 95.0 mph in his first 25 pitches of a start and 94.5 past his 75th.
388 early fastballs, 345 late ones.
The contact he allows is the kind that finds grass
The quality of contact against Yamamoto projects a .342 average, 33rd percentile.
759 pitches in 2026. 33rd percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 360th in MLB.
He saves one pitch for one side of the plate
Yamamoto throws the sinker 21% of the time against right-handers and 6.4% against left-handers.
1213 pitches to right-handers, 1521 to left-handers.
He gets ahead early and pitches from in front all night
Yamamoto throws a strike on the first pitch 62.6% of the time.
708 plate appearances started in 2026.
He gets so far down the mound the ball arrives early
Yamamoto releases the ball 6.6 feet down the mound, so the ball arrives sooner than the radar gun suggests.
2542 tracked pitches in 2026.
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The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
The gap between his pitches is what makes them work
19.2 mph separates Yamamoto's 4-seam fastball from his curveball, 96.1 against 76.9.
723 and 360 of them respectively.
There is one pitch of his that keeps getting hit
Contact off Yamamoto's 4-seam fastball leaves the bat at 90.0 mph, against 82.6 off his cutter.
723 and 414 of them thrown.
His fastball is the pitch everything else is built on
Yamamoto's 4-seam fastball averages 96.1 mph, and has touched 98.3.
723 thrown, 26.4% of his pitches.
One pitch of his spins more than almost anyone's
Yamamoto's curveball spins at 2,812 rpm, the highest in his arsenal.
360 thrown in 2026.
His pitches move in ways that fit together
Yamamoto works with 6 pitches: 4-Seam Fastball, Splitter, Cutter and Curveball, and a little else. The 4-seam fastball is 26.4% of everything he throws.
2734 classified pitches in 2026.
He saves one pitch for one side of the plate
Yamamoto throws the sinker 21% of the time against right-handers and 6.4% against left-handers.
1213 pitches to right-handers, 1521 to left-handers.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
One pitch of his moves in a way hitters rarely see
Yamamoto's curveball carries 16.5 inches of drop against a spinless ball, the biggest vertical move in his arsenal.
360 thrown, averaging 76.9 mph.
One pitch of his runs sideways more than almost anyone's
Yamamoto's sinker moves 14.6 inches toward the third-base side, the biggest horizontal move in his arsenal.
352 thrown, averaging 95.5 mph.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
This is the pitch he goes to when he needs the out
With two strikes Yamamoto goes to the splitter: 35.9% of his two-strike pitches, against 22% the rest of the time.
847 two-strike pitches in 2026.
When he falls behind, hitters know exactly what is coming
Behind in the count Yamamoto throws a fastball 63.8% of the time, against 45.2% when he is ahead.
693 pitches behind in the count, 838 ahead.
How much of the zone he uses depends on the count
Yamamoto puts 59.6% of his pitches in the zone when he is behind and 43.4% when he is ahead.
693 located pitches behind, 838 ahead.
He gets ahead early and pitches from in front all night
Yamamoto throws a strike on the first pitch 62.6% of the time.
708 plate appearances started in 2026.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He works one part of the zone far more than the rest
Yamamoto lives at the bottom of the zone: his average pitch crosses at 2.12 feet, against a zone that runs 1.5 to 3.5.
2734 located pitches in 2026.
He lives on the edges rather than over the middle
17.3% of Yamamoto's pitches land in the middle third of the zone, well below what most pitchers give away.
474 of 2734 located pitches.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
One type of hitter does all the damage against him
Hitters do their damage on his fastballs: a .372 expected average against them, against .301 on his offspeed pitches.
400 of his fastballs thrown.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
The angle he throws from is unusual, and hitters notice
Yamamoto releases the ball from a low three-quarters slot, about 35 degrees above horizontal and 1.8 feet to the third-base side of the rubber.
2734 tracked release points, averaging 5.3 feet off the ground.
His velocity drains away as the outing goes on
Yamamoto's fastball averages 95.0 mph in his first 25 pitches of a start and 94.5 past his 75th.
388 early fastballs, 345 late ones.
He gets so far down the mound the ball arrives early
Yamamoto releases the ball 6.6 feet down the mound, so the ball arrives sooner than the radar gun suggests.
2542 tracked pitches in 2026.
The numbers behind these live in Matchups.
Take me there
He pitches around the zone once runners are on
Yamamoto throws 38.9% of his pitches in the zone with a runner in scoring position and 44.4% with the bases empty.
131 pitches with a runner in scoring position, 628 with the bases empty.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
His ball is straighter than it should be
Yamamoto's stuff spins at 2,141 rpm, 27th percentile in the league.
759 pitches in 2026. 27th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 391st in MLB.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He throws about as hard as anybody in the league
Yamamoto averages 90.7 mph across his arsenal, 65th percentile in the league.
759 pitches in 2026. 65th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 189th in MLB.
The numbers behind these live in Spray Chart.
Take me there
The contact he allows is the kind that finds grass
The quality of contact against Yamamoto projects a .342 average, 33rd percentile.
759 pitches in 2026. 33rd percentile among qualified pitchers in 2026, 360th in MLB.
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