LOS ANGELES The Mets got their first up close and personal view of Yoshinobu Yamamoto, baseballs most coveted free agent pitcher ever, since the slight right-hander dined at Mets owner Steve Cohens Greenwich, Conn., estate back in December. Yamamoto flashed the look of a future star Friday night at Dodger Stadium. Yet he still fared somewhat better as a dinner guest considering the Mets $325M bid afterward than he did as a Dodgers pitcher against the team he ultimately rebuffed. The Mets hit some rockets and tagged the most sought-after hurler in the history of free agency for four runs (three earned) here in . Yamamoto threw 72 strikes in 99 pitches and struck out his season-high nine. He made nasty pitches, just not quite enough of them; both his record and ERA remained exactly the same 1-1 and 4.50. Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who allowed four runs in six innings, walks to the dugout during the Mets 9-4 win over the Dodgers. AP The Mets made their losing bid for Yamamoto following his meal at Cohens manor, and who knows, they might have thrown in the house (or at least the guest house; Im a suming there is one, though Ive never been Damaso Garcia Jersey ) had they only gotten a wink and a nod signifying they actually had a chance. The word from folks in the know now, though, is that the bidding went so far above Yamamotos original target figure of around $200M, he was never going to go anywhere but his first choice Dodgers. Teams didnt know that back then, and the Mets did whatever they could, including a trip for Cohen and baseball president David Stearns to Japan. Still, it never felt like the Mets had a big chance. After Yamamoto regaled the Yankees with his knowledge of pinstripe history in their meeting, Yankees people mistakenly felt they were a favorite. More From Jon Heyman Hey, maybe hes just a history buff. Or a great actor. As for his pitching, its been a mixed baseball bag so far. He posted a 1.80 ERA over the middle three of his five starts, took a 1.06 WHIP into Friday and has 30 strikeouts against only five walks. But the Dodgers have lost four of five starts. This was the first time he lasted past the fifth inning, going six and allowing seven hits. The Mets knocked him pretty hard. Red-hot D.J. Stewart homered, Starling Marte doubled, Harrison Bader doubled among his three hits off Yamamoto (four overall) and the Mets peppered Yamamoto with liners and long flies. Yamamoto also showed glimpses of greatne s. The fastball, splitter and curveball all looked devastating at times. He has the ability but needs some adjustments. Yoshinobu Yamamoto delivers a pitch during the Mets win over the Dodgers. AP Things are different here. The balls are bigger, the travel is harder (three time zones), the schedule is tougher, and frankly, the hitters are much better. Hes in the proce s of acclimating to an entire league, schedule and environment, and hes doing a great job of it, Dodgers baseball president Andrew Friedman said before Fridays start. He was battling some mechanical stuff early. But hes been in a really good place since. Being around more and watching him work has only strengthened our conviction in how good he can be. Everyone cant be wrong. And everyone wanted this guy. The Yankees were in at $300M but stopped there. The Phillies reportedly went above the Dodgers winning $325M bid. Two more teams went to $300M. That doesnt even include the $50M posting fee, or the added tax. The Dodgers, Mets and Yankees three of the six high bidders are the very teams in the highest tax bracket, the fourth-tier, so-called Steve Cohen 110 percent tax. He was pretty good Friday, but at that rate, hes going to have to be even better. The Dodgers are one team that can afford to be wrong, but they rarely are. He will be fine, one NL scout says. Hes learning hitters and getting used to their aggre sivene s when they know he fills up the strike zone. Most of his work was done in domes, so hes getting used to the elements. But his attention to detail is second in none, so Id have no worries about him. Back in winter, there were merely a few di senters out of scores of admirers. A couple questioned the command. A few criticized the competition. And a handful mentioned that hes a slight right-hander, which isnt what scouts seek. No one important was listening. Delivering insights on all things Amazins Sign up for Inside the Mets by Mike Puma, exclusively on Sports+ Thank you By clicking above you agree to the and . Enjoy this Post Sports+ exclusive newsletter! One bold AL scout says he saw Yamamoto as only a No. 3 starter, which certainly swayed not a soul (his team was one of six that bid $300M plus.) Only a fool would bet against the Dodgers, who are right more consistently than anyone. And lets not forget: This was a near-unanimous bet. Any team that could afford to try to outbid baseballs biggest teams was in the bidding. Teams loved his age (25), but it was a lot more than that. He was praised for poise, admired for aptitude and celebrated for stuff. Folks will be shocked if he doesnt become a star. Hes really talented, hes young and has the right mentality to continue to grow and get better, Friedman said. The Dodgers certainly are banking on it. Will Wagner Jersey