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Yoshinobu Yamamoto has completely changed the game of baseball. When the Japanese right-hander signed a record-breaking 12-year, $325 million deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers in December 2023, it made waves throughout the MLB. He has been a must-see player since he put on his new uniform and stepped onto the field. People are very interested in the superstar pitcher’s life outside of baseball since he moved to LA. Fans and the media are very interested in his life outside of sports and want to know everything about it. There is no doubt that he is a great pitcher, and there is a lot of evidence to back that up. However, his personal life has become the subject of gossip columns and fan forums, even though many of the stories that are going around are unverified and based on speculation. ADVERTISEMENT Article continues below this ad Is Yoshinobu Yamamoto Dating Niki Niwa? The rumor mill kicked into overdrive when paparazzi caught Yamamoto and Niwa together at a Beverly Hills shopping mall in November 2024. The video spread like wildfire, drawing in both Dodgers fans and Japanese news outlets that were looking for any celebrity gossip. Yamamoto is one of Japan’s biggest baseball stars, and his personal life gets a lot of attention. When another famous Japanese person, like Niwa, comes into the picture, the internet goes crazy with rumors. But the love story took a big hit during the playoffs. In 2025, Insider Reports shocked everyone by saying that Niwa was having a great time on a girls’ trip to Hong Kong while Yamamoto was pitching against the Philadelphia Phillies in the NLDS. The timing couldn’t have been worse; it put an end to the dating rumors and left fans wondering what was really going on between the two stars. ADVERTISEMENT Article continues below this ad Who Is Niki Niwa, Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s Rumored Girlfriend? Meet Niki Niwa, the 28-year-old who everyone on the internet is talking about. This Japanese-American model was born and raised in Kobe, Japan, in 1996. She became famous in 2013 when she started posting lifestyle content on Instagram. What began as casual posts about her travels, food, and daily life turned into a full-fledged modeling empire with almost 800,000 Instagram followers who hang on her every word. The 28-year-old model and TV star became famous for being on the popular Netflix reality show “Terrace House: Aloha State.” She also played Akane Matsuoka, a junior executive trying to figure out how to deal with modern relationships, in the romantic drama “Peanut Butter Sandwich.” She has worked with Dior Beauty, Valentino Beauty, Lancôme, and the Japanese skincare brand Takami as a model. In 2023, she even led a campaign for Aston Martin, posing with the brand’s Vantage F1 Edition. Read Top Stories First From EssentiallySports Click here and check box next to EssentiallySports ADVERTISEMENT Article continues below this ad Have There Been Other Dating Rumors About Yamamoto? Some rumors pop star Sabrina Carpenter and Yamamoto were dating for a short time. In January 2025, the talk spread online, but it didn’t last long. By February, Carpenter’s team quickly put an end to all the rumors with an official denial. The rumors were put to rest faster than you can say “strike three.” What about Yamamoto’s real love life? The only rumor that has stuck around is that he is dating Japanese model and reality TV star Niki Niwa (sometimes spelled Nawa). This pairing has gotten a lot of attention from both Japanese and American media, unlike the short-lived Carpenter speculation. This makes it the most believable dating story about the Los Angeles Dodgers ace. Why Does Yoshinobu Yamamoto Keep His Relationship Private? Yamamoto’s secretive way of talking about his dating life isn’t random; it’s a big part of his Japanese upbringing. There is a strong cultural tradition in Japan of keeping their personal life and their work life separate. The focus is always on performance, not romance, especially for athletes. Yamamoto is a perfect example of this way of thinking. He thinks that his love life shouldn’t be the major topic of conversation in sports. He also studies how Japanese sports culture works. Japanese athletes don’t show off their relationships; they let their accomplishments speak for themselves. Yamamoto protects both his privacy and his mental space by keeping this line between his romantic life and his pitcher persona. This lets him focus solely on dominating the mound for the Dodgers without the constant media circus that comes with being a celebrity.
