A noticeable drop in the velocity of his four-seam fastball in the first inning was the first sign that something was not right with Dodgers right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto on Saturday night.
The red lights then began flashing after the top of the second, when SportsNet LA cameras caught pitching coach Mark Prior hurriedly summoning manager Dave Roberts and an athletic trainer into the tunnel below the dugout and reliever Michael Grove began warming up in the bullpen.
Sure enough, Yamamoto was pulled after giving up one hit in two scoreless innings of an eventual 7-2 loss to the Kansas City Royals in front of a crowd of 50,423 at Dodger Stadium, the team announcing an initial diagnosis of triceps tightness.
Yamamoto, a former Nippon Pacific League star who signed a 12-year, $325-million deal with the Dodgers in December, was originally scheduled to start Thursday night’s series finale against the Texas Rangers.