Elite Pitching Matchup Taking Place at Dodger Stadium Friday Night

If you’re a pitching enthusiast, you may want to check out the action going on Friday evening in Chavez Ravine.

The Los Angeles Dodgers will be hosting the Pittsburgh Pirates. Normally on the surface, this wouldn’t necessarily be something the casual fan would watch given LA’s standing as a power and Pirates…well…floating towards the bottom of the proverbial toilet.

Having said that, Yoshinobu Yamamoto will go head-to-head with Paul Skenes — and that’s most certainly worth the exorbitant price of admission.

Skenes may have the most talent of any pitcher in the game. The intimidating right-handed hurler will get to come over and perform in front of family and friends in his native Southern California. This year, Skenes has gone 2-2 with a 2.87 ERA. As a 22-year-old rookie last year, he went 11-3 with a microscopic 1.96 ERA.

Yamamoto is also in his second year in the Big Leagues. Last year was ultimately a success as he helped the Dodgers win a World Series. After being paid $325 million, his year was hindered by a shoulder injury. That’s not to say he was poor by any stretch. We saw glimpses of the pitcher Yamamoto was in Japan. Collectively, he went 7-2 with a 3.00 ERA.

This year, Yamamoto is clearly more comfortable with his surroundings. Thus far, he’s 3-1 with a 0.93 ERA. Yamamoto has allowed only two HRs, and has struck out 38 batters in 29 innings. All of the advanced metrics has Yamamoto in the ‘elite’ category — and the film has backed that up.

There’s a real case to be made that both of these pitchers will be heavy contenders to win the NL Cy Young Award. Assuming they stay healthy, tonight will be a tasty appetizer in seeing these superstar pitchers compete on an intriguing stage.