Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Dalton Rushing spoke at a team press conference on June 13, 2026, about catching Yoshinobu Yamamoto's outing in which Yamamoto carried a no-hitter into the eighth inning before losing it.
Rushing described the experience as highly rewarding, saying during the press conference, "it was really, really, really fun to work with him today." He noted that Yamamoto's ability to consistently get strike one was a key factor, adding, "from a hitting side, that's very hard to battle out of a hole against a guy like that with six different pitches" — a detail Rushing attributed to Yamamoto's arsenal making life easier for the catcher and extremely difficult for opposing hitters.
Rushing acknowledged the emotional weight of losing the no-hit bid, stating, "Two years in a row to lose it like that, it's frustrating. And sometimes you kind of feel a little guilty." He explained that the 2025 experience in Baltimore — when he was present as Yamamoto similarly lost a no-hit bid — shaped his awareness. "2025 in Baltimore taught us a lot as far as like when it can be taken from you," he noted, adding that the lesson made him more alert in the ninth inning of the June 13, 2026 game.
On the pitch that ended the no-hitter, Rushing confirmed it was a fastball at the top of the zone, explaining that Yamamoto was throwing 97 mph throughout the game and that location is typically a sound pitch. He also mentioned that Yamamoto was "a little heated" in the ninth inning after a hitter jumped on a well-executed pitch, illustrating the emotional investment both battery mates shared in the outing. Rushing added that Yamamoto's repeated ability to carry a no-hitter deep into games demonstrates his caliber: "just shows you the pitcher that he is, the amount of times that he can go out there and do something like that."
Rushing expressed confidence that more opportunities lie ahead, stating, "I know we're going to have more opportunities with Yoshi like that and I'm looking forward to it," and pointed to Yamamoto's constant experimentation — always trying to add new tricks to deceive hitters — as the reason those opportunities will continue to arise.