It is never too early to look into the CY Young race. Pitchers have made a fair share of starts, and you can see which ones have dominated and which ones have begun to struggle. Some have been so dominant that they have managed to pull themselves away from the pack. When it comes to the National League, Hunter Greene is one of those pitchers. However, Dodgers ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto has his eyes on the CY Young and has been quite dominant to start.

Yamamoto Has Been Dominant

I think every fan knew that Yamamoto was going to get a very big contract, but highest paid pitcher in baseball was shocking. His $325 million contract beat Gerrit Cole, so for a guy who had yet to pitch a single inning in the MLB comes with lofty expectations. His first season was filled with injury, but Yamamoto showed the exact type of pitcher he could be. Now that he is healthy in 2025? Yeah, Yamamoto is pitching not just like an ace, but like the best pitcher in baseball.

The baseball world got to witness a phenomenal pitching duel between Yamamoto and Jacob deGrom. It was the best duel of the entire season and each player went toe to toe. deGrom pitched very well, going seven innings strong, walking one batter and striking out seven. Yamamoto matched that and out performed that, going seven innings, and striking out ten batters. What a performance. Oddly enough, he became the seventh pitcher this season to pitch seven innings and walk zero batters while punching out 10+ batters and having zero earned runs.

As dominant and this performance is and was, this isn’t the first stellar performance of the season. In fact, this is the second time this season he had struck out 10 batters in a single outing and came close to doing so again. He has made five starts this season, and let’s just say the results speak for themselves.

5 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 4 K vs. Cubs

5 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 10 K vs. Tigers

6 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 5 K vs. Phillies

6 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 9 K vs. Cubs

7 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 10 K vs. Rangers

In 29 innings pitched, he has just three earned runs against him. He’s now struck out 38 batters and is truly limiting his walks. His ERA now sits at 0.93, which is magnificent and his WHIP is extremely low with 0.86. Yamamoto truly is pitching like the highest paid pitcher in baseball and has been rock solid for the Dodgers rotation.

He is Worthy of a CY Young

Yamamoto has been everything you could ask for, especially with that price tag. He has been one of the best pitchers this season and each outing has been must watch television. He has been sensational and truly carrying the mantle for the Dodgers. Hunter Greene is my person favorite for the NL CY Young to start, but Yamamoto is certainly pulling his weight and could very well pull away in the CY Young race.

You gotta love what you’re seeing.