Yamamoto Leads MLB Starters With 78.3% Quality Start Rate
Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto is having an outstanding season in Major League Baseball (MLB).
He currently leads all MLB starting pitchers with a quality start rate of 78.3 percent.
A quality start means a pitcher throws at least six innings and allows three or fewer earned runs.
Yamamoto has started 23 games this season, and he has pitched at least five innings in every single one.
This shows how consistent he has been throughout the year. He has allowed four or more earned runs in only two of his starts.
In his most recent game, Yamamoto pitched into the seventh inning and gave up two runs.
His teammate Shohei Ohtani also had a strong game, reaching base three times and scoring twice.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts praised both players after the game.
He said Ohtani had a good at-bat, and called Yamamoto's performance "great."
Meanwhile, in another game mentioned by the source, Dodgers player Edman hit a walk-off single using a special "ice cream" bat, and said he felt good afterward, mentioning his son.
The report also notes that Sukubaru, another Dodgers pitcher, has not won a game since joining the team, and now takes his turn on the rotation after Yamamoto's strong outing.
Vocabulary6 words
- quality start
- when a pitcher plays a good, long game
- earned runs
- points the other team scores because of the pitcher's mistakes
- innings
- parts of a baseball game
- consistent
- always doing something well, again and again
- at-bat
- one turn for a player to hit the ball
- rotation
- the order in which pitchers take turns to play
Quiz
Answer key
1. 78.3% 2. All 23 3. True
Fill-in-the-blank listening
Play the audio again and fill in the missing words as you listen.
Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto is having an outstanding _____ in Major League Baseball.
He currently leads all MLB starting pitchers with a quality start rate of _____ percent.
A quality start means a pitcher throws at least six innings and allows three or fewer earned _____.
Yamamoto has started 23 games this season, and he has pitched at least five innings in every single _____.
He has allowed four or more earned runs in only _____ of his starts.
In his most recent game, Yamamoto pitched into the _____ inning and gave up two runs.
His teammate Shohei _____ also had a strong game.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts _____ both players after the game.
Dodgers player Edman hit a walk-off single using a special "ice _____" bat.
Sukubaru has not won a game since joining the _____.
Discussion questions
- Why do you think consistency is important for a starting pitcher in baseball?
- What does the term 'quality start' tell us about a pitcher's performance?
- How might Ohtani's performance affect the team's success alongside Yamamoto's pitching?
- Do you think special equipment, like Edman's bat, can really affect a player's performance? Why or why not?