What happened: MLB Network posed the question of whether Yoshinobu Yamamoto is baseball's best big-game pitcher right now, and DeRo said Yamamoto's postseason work won him over.
Why it matters: The praise lands during a strong run for Yamamoto, whose Sept. 10 outing featured 10 strikeouts over seven innings with one earned run. That recent form keeps the big-game case alive even when the conversation is driven by opinion rather than a new on-field development.
By the numbers: Yamamoto has made 27 starts this season; 24 have gone at least 6.0 innings and 21 have been quality starts. He struck out 10 for the eighth time in his MLB career on Sept. 10.
What to watch: Yamamoto's next start will give the debate fresher footing than any studio argument. Another deep outing would keep the spotlight on his late-season form.