Yoshinobu Yamamoto showcased his pitching skills for the first time this spring against the Texas Rangers. The right-handed pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers made his Cactus League debut on Wednesday, impressively striking out three batters across two scoreless innings at Surprise Stadium.

“He has good stuff. I mean, that’s obvious,” Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said. “That’s why they signed him to that deal he got.”

The 12-year, $325 million contract has generated significant attention for the former NPB League star from Japan. In his outing against the Rangers, he threw 16 strikes and only three balls, yielding just one hit to Evan Carter. His arsenal includes a blazing upper 90s fastball and a devastating split-fingered fastball. Carter, the only batter to connect against the 25-year-old, praised his velocity and movement, stating that he aimed to anticipate the pitch and drive it up the middle. Rangers manager Bochy highlighted the challenge posed by Yamamoto’s ability to consistently throw strikes with his powerful fastball and deceptive splitter.