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The details of what’s inside Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s notebook are a mystery. And it appears it’ll stay that way.
As Yamamoto prepares to take the mound in Game 2 of the NLCS on Monday, his catcher, Will Smith, revealed that he doesn’t even know what’s inside it.
“We’re talking constantly, so it’s probably the same stuff,” Smith said.
Another reporter immediately followed up with Smith, asking if he ever writes, “I smoked this guy,” after striking them out, to which Smith shrugged it off with a laugh and said, “No.”
— Dodgers Nation (@DodgersNation) October 12, 2026Will Smith speaks on Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s viral notebook that he goes to during his starts in the dugout.
He also confirmed Yamamoto does not write “I smoked this guy” in it 😭 pic.twitter.com/ZqPRIH9g41
Since Yamamoto joined the Dodgers two years ago, he’s regularly been spotted writing in his notebook and taking notes in between innings.
According to former professional pitcher Robby Rowland, the reason Yamamoto writes in a notebook instead of utilizing an iPad is that he has drawings of the strike zone.
Rowland believes that inside the drawings, he features pitches that are circled with different numbers – which could indicate which pitches batters swung at. He also added that writing down the pitches in the notebook helps more with his memory than utilizing modern technology.
During the World Series last year, Tom Verducci of Sports Illustrated reported that Yamamoto will sit down with his interpreter and Dodgers pitching coach Mark Prior in between innings and will use the notebook as his own personal scouting report and will review the next three or four hitters he’s set to face.
Last year, his method elevated him to winning the World Series MVP after he made two starts and appeared in three games last year, where he pitched in 17.2 innings, with a 1.02 ERA, and struck out 15 batters.
The Dodgers are hoping their MVP rises to the occasion in Game 2 as they’re coming off a brutal 2-1 loss to the Brewers on Sunday night.