Orix Buffaloes ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto will have another chance to make his mark in the Japan Series when he starts Saturday's Game 6 against Hanshin Tigers right-hander Shoki Murakami at Kyocera Dome Osaka.
The three-time winner of the Sawamura Award for Japan's most outstanding starting pitcher took the loss in the series opener and will take the mound with the defending champion Buffaloes trailing the best-of-seven series 3-2.
Yet to earn a win from four Japan Series starts between 2021 and 2023, Yamamoto will aim to silence critics of his playoff record in his second battle of the series against Murakami, who got the win the first time around with seven shutout innings.
Yamamoto, who had not allowed three or more runs in consecutive starts in the past three regular seasons, has struggled this postseason, giving up five runs in seven innings against the Lotte Marines in Game 1 of the Pacific League playoff final stage and surrendering seven runs in 5-2/3 innings in Japan Series Game 1.
The 25-year-old is expected to be one of the most highly sought-after players by Major League Baseball clubs this offseason, provided the Buffaloes allow him to leave Japan via the posting system before he becomes a free agent.
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