Before Yamamoto signed with the Dodgers, 'he was showing me the javelins. We were tossing those on the field. It was fun to watch his whole routine," the Twins pitcher said.

Yamamoto gave up a grand slam to Gabriel Moreno and a solo home run to Ketel Marte in five innings in a 5-3 loss on a night when the Dodgers don’t get enough out of their hard contact.

The Los Angeles Dodgers were confident heading into Thursday’s game against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Their ace, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, was on the mound, ready to shut the Diamondbacks’ offense down in the opening game of their four-game series.