Los Angeles Dodgers starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto delivers a pitch to a Toronto Blue Jays batter in the first inning during Game 2 of the 2025 World Series at Rogers Centre in Toronto. (©John E Sokolowski/IMAGN IMAGES/via REUTERS)
After getting pounded by the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 1 of the World Series, the Los Angeles Dodgers needed a spark. And Yoshinobu Yamamoto gave them a huge lift in Game 2.
It was a masterclass in pitching ― highlighted by Yamamoto's mental sharpness and supreme command of his pitches. Of Yamamoto's 105 pitches, 73 were strikes.
The Dodgers right-hander tossed a four-hit complete game, retiring the final 20 batters on Saturday night, October 25 at Rogers Centre. LA's 5-1 victory, which included home runs by Will Smith and Max Muncy in the seventh inning, evened the series at 1-1.
And with the bounce-back win, the reigning MLB champion Dodgers headed home to LA in an upbeat mood and with a day off before the series resumes on Monday at Dodger Stadium.
In the postgame news conference, Yamamoto called LA's 11-4 setback on Friday "a big loss." He also underscored the significance of Game 2 in his remarks.
"We had to win," said Yamamoto, who finished with eight strikeouts and no walks. "So that's how I treated this game."
The 27-year-old pitching star, who signed a 12-year deal with the Dodgers in December 2023, also expressed satisfaction with his nine innings of work on the mound.
"I'm very happy and proud of the fact that I was able to [make] a big contribution," added Yamamoto, "and give a chance for the team to win."
A 2nd Straight Complete Game for Yamamoto
Yamamoto became the first MLB pitcher since Curt Schilling of the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2001 to toss consecutive complete games in the same postseason. (Schilling did it three games in a row.)
In Yamamoto's previous start on October 11, in Game 2 of the National League Championship Series, he allowed a home run to Milwaukee Brewers leadoff hitter Jackson Chourio on the first pitch in the bottom of the first. And after that, he pitched brilliantly. The Brewers only got two more hits the rest of the game against Yamamoto.
Again and again, the former Orix Buffaloes ace also kept the ball in the strike zone ― 81 of his 111 pitches were strikes.
Back on the mound 11 days later, Yamamoto labored through a challenging first inning (23 total pitches). The Blue Jays got a pair of hits to open the inning and had runners on first and third with no outs. Yamamoto then struck out feared slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr on a 2-2 curveball, a slow-it-down pitch (80 mph) that disrupted Guerrero's timing.
Guerrero was "way out in front of it," ESPN Radio analyst Jessica Mendoza said during the broadcast.
A Manager's Perspective
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts noted that Yamamoto is a pitcher with lofty credentials, which include helping lead the Buffaloes to the 2022 Japan Series title.
"You know, he's pitched in huge ball games in Japan. He's pitched in the WBC (World Baseball Classic)," Roberts said after Game 2. "Players that have the weight of a country on their shoulders, that's pressure. So I just feel that part of his DNA is to just perform at a high level in big spots and control his heartbeat and just continue to make pitches. So I mean, he could have went another 30, 40 pitches tonight."
Yoshinobu Yamamoto Analyzes His Pitching
After tossing his second consecutive complete game, Yamamoto commented on his general approach to pitching.
"My pitching style is to just keep attacking the zone," Yamamoto said. "So every pitch I throw, I focus on getting to the strike zone, [and] so there's not much adjustment in the game."
Confident in his ability to make quality pitches, Yamamoto recognizes what's working and sticks with it.
On Saturday night, "I managed to use my curveballs well in key moments and that also helped my splitters (split-finger fastballs) work effectively," he told reporters.
With runners at first and third and one out in the third inning, Toronto catcher Alejandro Kirk hit a sacrifice fly to center. That evened the score at 1-1.
The Blue Jays never threatened to score again, and Yamamoto got stronger as the game went on.
Heading into the eighth inning, he had thrown 79 pitches on the night.
Was fatigue a factor at this point?
Apparently not.
Yamamoto struck out the side in the eighth. George Springer, the middle hitter in the frame, swung and missed a superb 95-mph (153-kph) four-seam fastball for the third strike.
'He Was Just Spectacular'
After Yamamoto's 1-2-3 ninth, Dodgers catcher Smith spoke to ESPN Radio's Buster Olney in a postgame interview.
"He was on his game today," Smith observed. The catcher added, "He just pitched really well, man."
Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman, MVP of the 2024 World Series, offered his observations on Yamamoto's recipe for success.
"He can just hit his spots with all his pitches," Freeman told ESPN Radio.
Freeman then summed up Yamamoto's performance with a four-word analysis: "He was just spectacular."
But not just on Saturday night. Yoshinobu Yamamoto is now 3-1 with a 1.57 ERA in four postseason starts in 2025. In 28⅔ innings, he's struck out 26 batters.
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Author: Ed Odeven
Follow Ed's [Japan Sports Notebook] on Sundays, [Odds and Evens] during the week, and he can be found on X (formerly Twitter) ＠ed_odeven.
