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Dodgers’ Yoshinobu Yamamoto reunites with NPB teammates during holiday break

Yahoo! Sports - News, Scores, Standings, Rumors, Fantasy Games

27 December 2025 at 09:59

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2025 World Series MVP honors and a third-place NL Cy Young finish framed the season for Los Angeles Dodgers ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto. In one calm holiday moment, the NPB star turned Dodgers ace blended past and present. The former NPB standout reunited with former Orix Buffaloes teammates Soichiro Yamazaki and Taishi Hirooka over Christmas, as Yamazaki shared on social media. It felt simple and human, a brief pause between bright lights and bigger expectations.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto reunited with two of his former NPB teammates, Soichiro Yamazaki and Taishi Hirooka, during Christmas this year 🙌 pic.twitter.com/vfIkymhrQI
— Dodgers Nation (@DodgersNation) December 27, 2025

Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s rise is a two-chapter story. In NPB with the Orix Buffaloes, he became a standard of excellence. A 5× NPB All-Star, three-time Triple Crown winner, and Pacific League MVP from 2021 through 2023, Yamamoto built a resume that felt historic in real time. Three Eiji Sawamura Awards followed, along with multiple ERA titles, strikeout crowns, and wins championships. Then came the exclamation points: two no-hitters that froze entire stadiums in silence. That dominance built belief in Los Angeles before he ever threw a pitch for the Dodgers.

Dodgers outlook after the reunion

Then came the Dodgers and the World Series stage. From there, Yamamoto backed up the hype with numbers and moments. Across the season, he finished with a 2.49 ERA, logged 173.2 innings, and struck out 201 batters, anchoring the rotation with precision and durability. In October, he also closed out Game 7 of the World Series, delivering the final outs with the same calm he showed in Japan. As a result, a third-place NL Cy Young finish reinforced what the eyes already saw: a true Dodgers ace had arrived.

Meanwhile, the holiday reunion showed the other side. Old teammates. Winter air. Stories of bus rides, practices, and pennant pressure. Yamamoto looked relaxed. The grind paused. The connection stayed.

For the Dodgers, this is more than a photo-op. Instead, a refreshed ace returns with confidence and roots that keep him grounded. Yamamoto brings elite stuff, postseason poise, and the mentality shaped in NPB into another title chase. Fans can already picture the scene under the stadium lights: the set, the stare, the strikeout that tilts October. How far can Yoshinobu Yamamoto take the Dodgers next season?

Dodgers minor league field in Ontario will be ready for opening day, officials say

Yahoo! Sports - News, Scores, Standings, Rumors, Fantasy Games

26 December 2025 at 10:04

A baseball field under construction in Ontario will soon welcome the newly-designated Single-A minor league affiliate for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The general manager for the Ontario Tower Buzzers says ONT Field is nearly complete and will be ready come opening day on April 2, 2026.

"The city of Ontario wanted to do some bold moves," said general manager Allan Benavides. "They built arguably the best minor league stadium in the whole nation, regardless of classification."

Benavides recently gave Eyewitness News an exclusive look at the stadium's progress, including the high-tech locker room for the home team as well as the field suite located right next to the home team's dugout.

"These dugout suites are extremely unique. I have not seen them anywhere in minor league baseball," he said.

The stadium will offer approximately 6,000 seats and offer patrons entrance to games as low as $5 per ticket.

Officials with the city of Ontario said the facility will not only be an attraction for tourists, but it will also provide an entertaining venue for local residents.

"We already have so many amenities in Ontario," said Jennifer Hiramoto, the executive director of economic development for the city of Ontario. "We have the international airport, we have the Ontario Mills, and we have the Toyota Arena."

"This is just another feather in our cap," she added.

Not only will ONT Field pay homage to the nearby international airport, with gates named with words such as "Arrival" and "Boarding."

But the video board and outfield walls are also designed to mirror what baseball fans see at Dodger Stadium in Elysian Park.

"Ontario Airport sits two miles behind the video board," said Benavides. "We have an incredible view of the San Gabriel Mountains. It's just unbelievable."

Hiramoto said it's taken years for the city of Ontario to secure the partnership with the Dodgers and build the stadium, but she said the end is in sight.

"Ontario positioned itself to be the home to the Dodger affiliate," said Hiramoto. "All we needed to do was buy 200 acres, sign a contract with the team, build a stadium and all the supporting infrastructure, and do it by April 2026... and here we are. We did it."