n=176 near this checkpoint
Why he matters right now
Yoshinobu Yamamoto is top-10 in the majors in WHIP and ERA
He is 2nd in WHIP at 0.88, 7th in ERA at 2.62 — placements on MLB's own season boards, which rank every QUALIFIED pitcher in the sport rather than the few dozen this site tracks. Qualified is MLB's own bar, and it is the reason a part-season player with a big number is not on these boards at all.
This has been his headline for 33 straight days.
The case in 30 seconds
- 0.88 2nd in WHIP at 0.88, 7th in ERA at 2.62 on MLB's season leaderboards MLB season leaderboard (the league's own top-10 board of qualified players, not this site's roster)
- 2.62 ERA over 172 innings, with 171 strikeouts, 26 starts and a 0.88 WHIP snapshot pitching board — the union of MLB's top-10 pitching boards, then MLB's 1.0 IP per team game rule applied; not the league's full qualified pool
The honest caveat
The open question is workload. He is at 172 innings over 26 starts; the same rate to the end of the season means roughly 190. Velocity and innings both have to hold, and neither is guaranteed — this page reports what the measurements say, not what a medical staff knows.
What to watch next
Next up: at Miami Marlins. 29 more to reach 200 SO.
Every claim above, with its source (2)
- 2nd in WHIP at 0.88, 7th in ERA at 2.62 on MLB's season leaderboards MLB season leaderboard (the league's own top-10 board of qualified players, not this site's roster)
- ERA over 172 innings, with 171 strikeouts, 26 starts and a 0.88 WHIP snapshot pitching board — the union of MLB's top-10 pitching boards, then MLB's 1.0 IP per team game rule applied; not the league's full qualified pool
The evidence
What to watch next
at Miami Marlins
loanDepot park · 4:10 p.m. ET
Opposite Tyler Phillips
Situational splits
| Split | IP | ERA | SO | WHIP | AVG against |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| vs RHP | 76.2 | — | 77 | 0.97 | .199 |
| vs LHP | 94.0 | — | 94 | 0.83 | .174 |
| Home | 97.2 | 3.13 | 102 | 0.90 | .188 |
| Away | 74.1 | 1.94 | 69 | 0.86 | .182 |
| Day | 29.2 | 1.21 | 27 | 0.64 | .158 |
| Night | 142.1 | 2.91 | 144 | 0.93 | .191 |
2026 season, MLB Stats API. A split with no plate appearances is omitted rather than shown as zeroes.
26G
26GS
172.0IP
13-8W-L
2.62ERA
0.88WHIP
171K
8.95K/9
0SV
Strikeout chase
| Chase | Current | Pace | Needed from here | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 200 K | 171 | 188 | 29 K · 10.7 per outing over 2.7 left | NEAR PACE |
| 250 K | 171 | 188 | 79 K · 29.3 per outing over 2.7 left | IMPOSSIBLE |
| 300 K | 171 | 188 | 129 K · 47.8 per outing over 2.7 left | IMPOSSIBLE |
| 350 K | 171 | 188 | 179 K · 66.3 per outing over 2.7 left | IMPOSSIBLE |
| 383 K | 171 | 188 | 212 K · 78.5 per outing over 2.7 left | IMPOSSIBLE |
ERA & WHIP finish lines
| Finish | Current | Required rest-of-season | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sub-2.00 ERA | 2.62 | -4.04 over about 18 innings | IMPOSSIBLE |
| Sub-1.75 ERA | 2.62 | -6.74 over about 18 innings | IMPOSSIBLE |
| Sub-1.50 ERA | 2.62 | -9.44 over about 18 innings | IMPOSSIBLE |
| Sub-1.00 WHIP | 0.88 | 2.14 | ON PACE |
| Sub-0.90 WHIP | 0.88 | 1.06 | ON PACE |
Recent game log
Derived nightly from the snapshot ledger — each row is the difference between consecutive days; multi-day rows are labeled.
| Date | Opp | Result | IP | K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-09-09 | Cincinnati Reds | W 14-1 | 7.0 | 10 |
| 2026-09-01 | St. Louis Cardinals | L 8-13 | 7.0 | 8 |
| 2026-08-21 | Pittsburgh Pirates | W 5-4 | 6.1 | 9 |
| 2026-08-14 | Milwaukee Brewers | W 3-1 | 6.0 | 9 |
| 2026-08-08 | Arizona Diamondbacks | W 2-1 | 5.2 | 6 |
| 2026-08-01 | Boston Red Sox | L 2-3 | 8.0 | 3 |
| 2026-07-25 | New York Mets | W 4-3 | 6.0 | 5 |
| 2026-07-19 | New York Yankees | W 8-2 | 9.0 | 7 |
| 2026-07-11 | Arizona Diamondbacks | L 2-9 | 2.0 | 3 |
| 2026-07-10 | Arizona Diamondbacks | L 3-9 | 4.0 | 3 |
Recent highlights
▶︎
Yoshinobu Yamamoto fans 10 in seven strong innings2026-09-09 · Yoshinobu Yamamoto struck out 10 over 7.0 IP
▶︎
Yoshinobu Yamamoto flirts with no-no vs. Cardinals2026-09-02 · Yoshinobu Yamamoto struck out 8 over 7.0 IP
▶︎
Yoshinobu Yamamoto fans eight vs. Braves2026-08-27 · Yoshinobu Yamamoto struck out 8 over 6.1 IP
Lahman + Retrosheet context
How this season fits history
Chase history
Stuff watch
Splitter velocity, start by start
Every start's average against his own trailing baseline of 91.5 ± 0.58 mph. Ringed dots sit more than one standard deviation under the baseline; last start 92.81 mph (2026-09-09).
No active signals — inside one standard deviation of his own baseline. A trend report, not a diagnosis.