Yoshinobu Yamamoto Breaks Yu Darvish's Record in Japan Ahead of 2023 MLB Free Agency

If Yoshinobu Yamamoto gets posted by the Orix Buffaloes this offseason, the right-hander made a great impression in his final NPB start on Saturday.

In Orix's 5-1 win over Hanshin, Yamamoto broke Yu Darvish's Japan Series record of 14 strikeouts.

Darvish's 13 strikeouts in Game 1 of the 2007 Japan Series for the Nippon-Ham Fighters tied the record originally set by Kimiyasu Kudoh in 1999.

Yamamoto's outing came in a must-win game for the Buffaloes, who entered Game 6 trailing the series 3-2. This was a huge bounce-back effort for the five-time All-Star after allowing seven earned runs in 5.2 innings in an 8-0 loss in Game 1.

"Regardless of the pitch count, I was betting this entire game on Yoshinobu," Orix manager Satoshi Nakajima said after the win.

While it hasn't been confirmed yet, the expectation is that Yamamoto will be posted to MLB teams this offseason.

Per MLB rules, a Japanese player who doesn't have the required nine years of professional experience to gain international free agency can be posted. All 30 teams have a 45-day window to negotiate a contract with the player. If no deal is reached within that timeframe, the player returns to his club for the upcoming season and can't be posted again until the next offseason.

If the player signs with a team, the MLB club is required to send a release fee to the NPB team that is determined by the value of the deal. Masataka Yoshida's five-year deal with the Boston Red Sox last offseason totaled $105.4 million between his total salary ($90 million) and the payment to Orix ($15.4 million).

Yamamoto figures to be one of the most sought-after free agents if the Buffaloes post him. He's ranked as the No. 2 free agent in this class behind Shohei Ohtani, per MLB.com's Mark Feinsand.

Per The Athletic's Keith Law, Yamamoto has ace potential in MLB with a fastball that sits "94-96 mph with an out pitch in his splitter along with a cutter and a very high-spin curveball" with high-level athleticism.

If there's a concern about Yamamoto, he's listed at 5'10" and 176 pounds. It's a smaller physical profile than you will typically see for a frontline starting pitcher. Sonny Gray and Framber Valdez were the only pitchers listed under 6 feet who finished in the top 20 in FanGraphs wins above replacement this season.

But the resume Yamamoto has built in Japan suggests he has all the tools to be successful at a high level in MLB. The 25-year-old has won the pitching triple crown in each of the past three seasons and back-to-back Pacific League MVPs in 2021 and 2022.

Yamamoto went 17-6 with a 1.16 ERA, 0.86 WHIP and 176 strikeouts in 171 innings over 24 starts during the 2023 regular season.