・I was moved ! “When I started in the bullpen, to be honest, I wasn’t sure I could pitch at my best up there,” Yamamoto said through an interpreter. “But as I warmed up and made a small adjustment, I started to feel like I could get the job done.” ・Tireless Yamamoto named World Series MVP -- on zero days' rest!
November 2nd, 2025 Anthony Castrovince https://www.mlb.com/news/yoshinobu-yamamoto-wins-20…series-mvp https://x.com/nansounotora/status/1985140833738506437?s=61

・Dodgers win the 2025 World Series!
Dodgers @ Blue JaysNovember 1, 2025 | 00:01:57Reels
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Yoshinobu Yamamoto induces a game-ending double play, as the Dodgers become the first team in 25 years to win back-to-back World Series championships https://www.mlb.com/ja/video/yoshinobu-yamamoto-in-…andro-kirk

・感動した! I was impressed! https://www.google.com/search?q=%E6%84%9F%E5%8B%95%…ent=safari

・Super Grok

「”When I started in the bullpen before I went in, to be honest, I was not really sure if I could pitch up there to my best ability,” Yamamoto said through an interpreter. “But as I started getting warmed up, because I started making a little bit of an adjustment, and then I started thinking I can go in and do my job.” 以上の文章を “When I started in the bullpen before I went in, to be honest, I was not really sure if I could pitch up there to my best ability. But as I started getting warmed up, because I started making a little bit of an adjustment, and then I started thinking I can go in and do my job.” と直すと、英語の表現として違和感を感じますか。
　もし違和感を感じるならば、原文を損ねずに、二つの文章をどのようにつなげたらいいですか。」

　以上の「」内の文章を英語に翻訳してください。

Here’s the English translation of the text inside the Japanese quotation marks:

“When I started in the bullpen before I went in, to be honest, I was not really sure if I could pitch up there to my best ability,” Yamamoto said through an interpreter. “But as I started getting warmed up, because I started making a little bit of an adjustment, and then I started thinking I can go in and do my job.”
If you revise the above passage to: “When I started in the bullpen before I went in, to be honest, I was not really sure if I could pitch up there to my best ability. But as I started getting warmed up, because I started making a little bit of an adjustment, and then I started thinking I can go in and do my job.” — does this feel unnatural as English expression?
If it does feel unnatural, without damaging the original meaning, how should the two sentences be connected?

英語の自然な接続表現を詳しく

Yes, the revised version feels unnatural in English for two main reasons:
1. Quotation handling: The original uses two separate quoted sentences (with attribution in between), which is common in sports reporting. Removing the attribution and merging into one block makes it read like a single unbroken quote, which feels abrupt.
2. Sentence connection: Starting the second sentence with “But” in a new quoted sentence is acceptable, but when merged into a single paragraph without proper transition, it creates a run-on feel and loses the natural pause that the original structure provided.

Natural Ways to Connect the Two Sentences (Preserving Original Meaning)
Here are several natural English versions, ranked from most formal/reporting-style to more fluid:

1. Keep the two-quote structure (Most faithful to journalism style)

“When I started in the bullpen before I went in, to be honest, I was not really sure if I could pitch up there to my best ability,” Yamamoto said through an interpreter. “But as I started getting warmed up—because I started making a little adjustment—I began to think I could go in and do my job.”

• Why it works:
• Maintains the original reporting rhythm.
• Uses em dashes to smoothly embed the reason (“because…”).
• Simplifies “a little bit of an adjustment” → “a little adjustment” (more natural).
• Changes “started thinking I can” → “began to think I could” for tense consistency and fluency.

2. Merge into one fluid quote with a semicolon or dash

“When I started in the bullpen before I went in, to be honest, I wasn’t really sure if I could pitch at my best up there; but as I warmed up and made a small adjustment, I started to feel like I could do my job,” Yamamoto said through an interpreter.

• Why it works:
• Semicolon + “but” connects contrasting ideas cleanly.
• “Wasn’t” (contraction) sounds more conversational.
• “Pitch at my best up there” rephrases slightly for flow.
• “Warmed up and made…” combines actions efficiently.

3. Use a natural spoken-style transition

“When I was warming up in the bullpen, honestly, I wasn’t even sure I could pitch at my best up there,” Yamamoto said through an interpreter. “But once I started making a small adjustment, I thought, Okay, I can do this.”

• Why it works:
• “Honestly” moves to a more natural position.
• “Once I started…” replaces the repetitive “as I started… because I started…”.
• Italicized thought reflects how players often describe internal shifts.

4. Most concise and natural (recommended for articles)

“I wasn’t sure I could pitch at my best when I started in the bullpen, to be honest,” Yamamoto said through an interpreter. “But after warming up and making a small adjustment, I knew I could get the job done.”

• Why it works:
• Eliminates repetition of “started”.
• “Knew I could get the job done” is more decisive and idiomatic than “started thinking I can go in and do my job.”

Key Natural English Fixes Applied


Final Recommendation (Best Balance of Fidelity & Fluency)

“When I started in the bullpen, to be honest, I wasn’t sure I could pitch at my best up there,” Yamamoto said through an interpreter. “But as I warmed up and made a small adjustment, I started to feel like I could get the job done.”

This version:
• Keeps the two-sentence quote structure
• Eliminates repetition
• Sounds like something a player would naturally say through translation
• Flows smoothly for English readers