As the MLB playoffs get underway, Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto has given up only eight earned runs in his last 47 innings.
Yamamoto's stellar pitching of late is one of many positive signs for the Dodgers as they seek to become the first MLB team to win back-to-back World Series titles since the New York Yankees (1998-2000).
The Dodgers (93-69) play host to the visiting Cincinnati Reds (83-79) in a best-of-three Wild Card Series starting on Tuesday night, September 30 (Wednesday morning JST, October 1).
Left-hander Blake Snell (5-4, 2.35 ERA) will start Game 1 for the Dodgers. Yamamoto (12-8, 2.49 ERA) was named Wednesday's Game 2 starter.
If the series goes to a decisive Game 3, reigning National League MVP Shohei Ohtani should expect to have mound duty. He will "probably" be named the starting pitcher, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said, according to The Associated Press.
For now, though, the Dodgers haven't announced a starter for Thursday.
With his arm and his bat, two-way superstar Ohtani is an electrifying performer on the baseball field. Consider the fact that on September 16, he became only the sixth player in MLB history to crush 50 home runs in consecutive seasons.
Ohtani closed out the season with a career-high 55 homers, increasing his total from 2024 by one.
"It's great to be able to beat my personal best," Ohtani said on Sunday, according to NHK, after LA's 6-1 road win against the Seattle Mariners. "I also got three hits, so I'm feeling good going into the postseason."
Along with his Dodgers teammates, Ohtani is pumped up for the start of the playoffs.
"I want to fight as a team until the very end," added Ohtani.
Sasaki Named to Playoff Roster
The Dodgers, meanwhile, moved Roki Sasaki to the bullpen in September after a late-season callup following a minor league rehabilitation assignment. Sasaki was named to LA's postseason roster, giving the squad additional bullpen depth.
The former Chiba Lotte Marines fireballer was sidelined for much of the season with a right shoulder injury.
Cubs and Padres in the Spotlight
San Diego Padres right-hander Yu Darvish will start Thursday's Game 3 of the NL Wild Card Series against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field.
Darvish had a 5-5 record and a 5.38 ERA in the regular season.
Entering the 2025 playoffs, Darvish has made 13 career postseason starts for the Texas Rangers, Dodgers, Cubs and Padres during his long MLB career. In 2024, he was 1-1 with a 1.98 ERA in two playoff starts.
Padres teammate Yuki Matsui (3-1, one save, 3.98 ERA) has been a reliable reliever this season, striking out 61 batters in 63 innings in his 61 appearances.
For the Cubs, slugger Seiya Suzuki (32 homers, 103 RBIs) had his most productive MLB season on offense.
Left-hander Shota Imanaga (9-8, 3.73 ERA) started 25 games in his second season with the Cubs. He won only one of his last seven starts. And he allowed a season-worst eight runs on nine hits in 5⅔ innings against the New York Mets on September 25 in his final start.
Imanaga's late-season woes, including a 6.51 September ERA and 10 homers against him in the month, may have cost him a spot in the starting rotation for the postseason.
But Imanaga is determined to make an impact in the playoffs.
"Looking at the playoffs, if you perform well, people will remember it," Imanaga said, according to the Daily Herald, a suburban Chicago newspaper. "If you don't, the season's almost a waste. I feel with me and Seiya, I want to look back and think about [how] we had a great playoffs."
Yoshida Enters Playoffs with a Hot Bat
Boston Red Sox outfielder Masataka Yoshida was hitting .229 on September 12. He raised his average to .266 by the season's end, three weeks later.
Yoshida only appeared in 55 games in his injury-shortened season. He had four homers and 26 RBIs.
In September, Yoshida turned things around, hitting .333 and driving in 13 runs in the month.
"He's getting hits. The guy can hit," Red Sox manager Alex Cora said on September 24, according to MLB.com. "That's the reason we signed him a while ago. He was banged up, you know, and that's the reason he wasn't hitting the ball in the air.
"Last year, he had major surgery [on his shoulder]. It took him a while to get going. He's getting at-bats, and now he's hitting in the middle of the lineup."
There's still games to play for Yoshida and his teammates.
The Red Sox face the New York Yankees in an American League Wild Card Series, starting on Tuesday at Yankee Stadium.
Sugano Finishes Season with a Long Winless Stretch
Baltimore Orioles starter Tomoyuki Sugano finished his MLB rookie season with a 10-10 record and a 4.64 ERA in 30 starts.
He notched his 10th win in his 23rd start on August 14 against the Seattle Mariners.
The 35-year-old was 0-5 with a 6.75 ERA in his last seven starts.
On August 31, Sugano allowed a season-high 10 hits and seven runs in 3⅓ innings against the San Francisco Giants.
In his final start of the year, he pitched 4⅓ innings and gave up five hits, including three homers, and four runs in a 6-1 road loss to the New York Yankees on September 27.
From start to finish, the 2025 season was a memorable experience for Sugano.
"It was the place I dreamed of, and everything was a new experience," Sugano said of his first MLB season, according to NHK. "I came to the ballpark feeling fresh every day. Honestly, the start of the season was almost too good to be true. I hit a wall midway through but managed to overcome it. It was a season where I experienced many things."
In 157 innings this season, Sugano gave up 173 hits, more than he'd allowed in any season of his pro career. Before joining the Orioles, he was a 136-game winner for NPB's Yomiuri Giants from 2013-24.
Sugano was not pleased that he allowed that many hits.
"Looking back on my baseball career, I've never had a season where I gave up this many hits," he was quoted as saying by NHK. "I want to make sure I apply what I learned to next season and beyond."
Baltimore's Plans for 2026 Not Finalized
Baltimore (75-87), which finished in last place in the AL East, could decide to shed interim manager Tony Mansolino's tag and make him the permanent skipper. Or the O's could hire a new manager.
Sugano's status for 2026 is also unknown at this time. He becomes a free agent in the offseason.
If the Orioles re-sign him, another one-year deal wouldn't be a big surprise at this stage of his career. A short-term contract with another MLB club is another likely option.
White Sox Prospect Nishida Plays Starring Role for Birmingham Barons
In his third season in the minor leagues, Birmingham Barons leadoff hitter Rikuu Nishida led the Double-A team in runs (72) and tied for the team lead in stolen bases (40).
The Osaka native batted .273 and had a .403 on-base percentage for the Chicago White Sox affiliate. He also walked 75 times in 115 games for the 2025 Southern League champions.
On Thursday, September 26, the visiting Barons clinched their second consecutive Southern League title, beating the Montgomery Biscuits 6-3 in Game 3 of the championship series.
Nishida went 1-for-4 with a pair of runs and two stolen bases in the title-clinching victory in Montgomery, Alabama. And in the ninth inning, right fielder Nishida was in the right place at the right time to seal the win. He caught the final out (Homer Bush Jr's fly ball) to end the game.
An 11th-round draft pick of the White Sox in 2023, Nishida spent the entire season in Double-A this year after playing at three minor-league levels in 2024.
This season, Nishida received playing time at all three outfield positions, and at second baseman and designated hitter.
"Rikuu is a guy that will do anything every day to help out your team win a ball game," Barons manager Guillermo Quiroz said on "The White Sox Podcast" in early September.
A .285 career hitter in the minor leagues, Nishida has 95 stolen bases in 262 games and one home run.
For his video podcast, Chicago Sports Network's Chuck Garfien interviewed Nishida and others within the White Sox organization during spring training in Arizona in March. Check out this revealing portrait of Nishida on YouTube.
RELATED:
- Dodgers Clinch 4th Consecutive NL West Title
- Shohei Ohtani Smacks 50 Homers in Back-to-Back Seasons
- MLB NOTES | Tomoyuki Sugano Earns 10th Win with the Orioles
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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