Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Yukihito Taguchi-USA TODAY Sports

AL team gave Japanese star pitcher own jersey during meeting

By Victor Barbosa | Last updated 12/21/23

The Los Angeles Dodgers preemptively reserved a No. 17 jersey for Shohei Ohtani in early December by asking reliever Joe Kelly if he'd give up the uniform for his potential new teammate. Days later, the Dodgers inked the reigning AL MVP to a record-breaking 10-year, $700 million contract.

New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone revealed Thursday that the Bronx Bombers may have taken a page from Los Angeles' book in their pursuit of free-agent Japanese ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto. It sounds like New York has taken things a step further.

The Yankees met with Yamamoto for the first time last week in Los Angeles, and got together with the 25-year-old again earlier this week in Manhattan.

Boone said that the team gave him his own jersey during the meeting and there was a special video message from a certain former World Series MVP as well.

Aaron Boone said the Yankees utilized a video message from Hideki Matsui in their presentation for Yoshinobu Yamamoto, plus a signed jersey. Boone said Yamamoto came across as a “special dude” with presence who is “comfortable in his own skin.”
— Bryan Hoch ⚾️ (@BryanHoch) December 21, 2023

The Yankees gave Yoshinobu Yamamoto his own No. 18 jersey when they met w/ him.

"I gave him that jersey," Aaron Boone said. "It's his if he wants to keep it."
— Brendan Kuty ‍♂️ (@BrendanKutyNJ) December 21, 2023

Yamamoto wore No. 18 with the Orix Buffaloes of the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) league.

Hideki Matsui spent the first seven of his 10 MLB seasons in the Bronx, earning both of his All-Star honors (2003, 2004) and helping the team win their most recent World Series title in 2009. Prior to signing with the then-Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in December 2009, Matsui finished his Yankees career by going 8-for-13 with three home runs and eight RBI in that year's Fall Classic to capture series MVP honors.

According to Baseball Reference, there have been 55 players in Yankees history to wear No. 18, including now-Chicago White Sox outfielder Andrew Benintendi, who wore the uniform most recently during the 2022 campaign. New York's 1998 World Series MVP Scott Brosius wore No. 18 during his final four seasons with the club through 2001, as did Japanese starting pitcher Hiroki Kuroda, from 2012-14.

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