Watch: Yoshinobu Yamamoto makes insane face-saving catch against Nationals

Somehow the three-time NPB MVP was able to get his glove in the right place and make the grab. Things could have gone worse had he not made the play in time.

Following this scary situation, Yamamoto continued pitching until the sixth inning and exited the game after throwing 97 pitches while collecting seven strikeouts. This turned out to be one of his best outing in his MLB career.

After the game, Dodgers coach Dave Roberts revealed that Yamamoto told him that he “almost died” while making this impressive catch.

I almost died. Yoshinobu Yamamoto told Dave Roberts

Dave Roberts praises Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s performance against Nationals

Since making the move from Japan, Yoshinobu Yamamoto has had mixed performances in his MLB careers. After a poor debut in the Seoul Series, the pitcher bounced back with two strong showings. However, his next outings once again saw him give up some runs against the San Diego Padres and the New York Mets.

He came into this game with a 1-1 record in his five games and in desperate need of a strong performance. He would go on to pitch six scoreless innings which saw him pick up his second win of the season as the Dodgers closed down the Nationals 2-1. This led to his coach Dave Roberts praising him for his effort.

In the press conference, Roberts lauded Yamamoto and expressed that this outing will increase his confidence for the upcoming matches.

It was probably his best start he has had with us And actually, the last two have been really good. I think that these last two shows that when he executes his pitches, he can get anyone out. I expect this to kind of dovetail into more confidence.

Dave Roberts said as per Juan Toribio of MLB.com.

This is the type of performance the Dodgers had been expecting from him after they splashed the cash to land his signature. This outing also saw Yamamoto lower his high ERA of 4.50 to 3.54. The win of the Dodgers not only keeps them top of the division standings, but also completes a three-game sweep of the Nationals.