Los Angeles Dodgers right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto gave up a leadoff home run on his first pitch to Jackson Chourio in the first inning. But he was brilliant the rest of the way in Game 2 of the National League Championship Series on Tuesday night, October 14, in Milwaukee.
The Dodgers starter held the Milwaukee Brewers to three hits and struck out seven at America Family Field in LA's 5-1 victory. He threw 81 of 111 pitches for strikes en route to a complete game, the first by an MLB pitcher in the postseason since 2017.
A 12-game winner in the regular season, Yamamoto improved to 2-1 with an outstanding 1.83 ERA in the playoffs.
The series shifts to Dodger Stadium for Game 3 of the best-of-seven series on Thursday, October 16 (Friday morning JST).
A day earlier, Los Angeles won Monday's NLCS opener 2-1, with starter Blake Snell pitching eight innings of one-hit ball. Roki Sasaki and Blake Treinen both pitched in the ninth. Treinen struck out Brice Turang with the bases loaded to end the game.
Referencing the Dodgers' dynamic overall performance in the playoffs (seven victories in eight games against the Cincinnati Reds, Philadelphia Phillies and Brewers), manager Dave Roberts put the team's October success in context.
"Our entire team is playing the best baseball we've played all year," Roberts said, according to The Associated Press. "The focus, the concentration level is at the highest, and we're peaking at the right time."
Dodgers Take the Lead
After falling behind 1-0 in the first inning in Game 2, the Dodgers pulled ahead with a pair of runs in the second inning.
For LA, Teoscar Hernandez and Max Muncy hit solo home runs in the second and sixth, respectively.
Dodgers leadoff hitter Shohei Ohtani went 1-for-5 with an RBI single in the seventh to extend the lead to 4-1. He struck out three times.
Tommy Edman had the final run-scoring hit in the eighth.
Yamamoto Settles into a Groove
As the game progressed, Yamamoto remained sharp on the mound.
After issuing a one-out walk in the fifth inning, Yamamoto retired 14 consecutive batters. He fanned Andrew Vaughn on a 92-mile (148-kph) split-finger fastball to end the ninth.
What were the keys to Yamamoto's dominant outing?
The three-time Eiji Sawamura Award winner (NPB's best pitcher, 2021-23) during his most successful years with the Orix Buffaloes cited mental strength.
"I reset my mind [after Chourio's homer] and then I just focused on executing my own pitches," Yamamoto said at a postgame news conference.
He added, "I established my rhythm and then I dictated the tempo based [on] the game. So that was great."
After the game, the 27-year-old pitcher also expressed joy.
"I felt confident pitching with the intention of finishing the game," Yamamoto said, according to Kyodo News. He added, "I regret what happened in the first inning, but winning is the most important [thing] in the postseason, so I'm very happy."
A Look Ahead
Roberts announced on Tuesday that Tyler Glasnow will start Game 3 and Ohtani is penciled in as the Game 4 starter for the Dodgers on Friday (Saturday JST).
RELATED:
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- MLB NOTES | Dodgers Seeking to Repeat as World Series Champs
- Yoshinobu Yamamoto Named NL Pitcher of the Month
Author: Ed Odeven
Find Ed on JAPAN Forward's dedicated website, SportsLook. Follow his [Japan Sports Notebook] on Sundays, [Odds and Evens] during the week, and X (formerly Twitter) ＠ed_odeven.
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