It’s not just Los Angeles Dodgers star pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto who is using spring training to get ready for the upcoming season.
Yoshihiro Sonoda, who translates for Yamamoto, took to the field at Camelback Ranch on Tuesday and participated in a rundown drill.
Sonoda seemed to be having a good time, laughing even though he got tagged out.
Sonoda Is a Big Part of Yamamoto’s Success
The translator may not have another chance to escape a pickle on the diamond this year, but as Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times notes, the World Series MVP views Sonoda as integral to his success.
Sonoda didn’t come into the job with a great deal of baseball knowledge, but he’s put in the work to make himself valuable to both Yamamoto and the organization.
“His efforts in the shadows have been to where I can feel them,” Yamamoto said. “He’s a very pure and straightforward person. I think he’s really wonderful.”
Manager Dave Roberts also noted the way Sonoda and Yamamoto interact.
“I think Yamamoto is quite the gentleman, quite the high character,” Roberts said. “He treats everyone from Hiro to myself to all the support staff with the highest of respect.”
But even more than that, Sonoda is Yamamoto’s good luck charm.
He has a pair of lucky boxers he wears on days the hurler takes the mound, and as Hernandez described them, they’re quite the vision: “a pair of boxers that depicted a rabbit with rainbow-colored lasers shooting out of its eyes.”
Yamamoto Gearing up for Three-Peat Attempt
The stacked Boys in Blue are going for a three-peat after back-to-back World Series titles, and Yamamoto and the other Dodgers will surely appreciate all the help they can get.
No one has wont three consecutive titles since the New York Yankees of 1998 to 2000.
While the Dodgers certainly have a roster loaded with talent, a lot can happen over the course of a season, and the line between winning and losing can be razor-thin.
Here’s hoping Sonoda’s boxers have enough luck left in them as the Dodgers prepare for another title run.
