LOS ANGELES — When Yoshinobu Yamamoto joined the Dodgers last December, he emphatically declared that he would stop looking up to the players he admired and instead “work to become the player that other people want to be.”
Ten months later, manager Dave Roberts leisurely came out of the dugout and took the ball away from Yamamoto in the seventh inning Saturday night at Dodger Stadium, but not before shaking the 26-year-old’s hand and giving him a quick hug on the mound. In his first World Series appearance, during his first big league postseason, facing a Yankees lineup that included the presumptive American League MVP and a set of free agent superstars waiting to test the boundaries of every competitive owner’s wallet. Yamamoto delivered the following results: It was the kind of outing the Dodgers dreamed of last offseason when they made him the richest pitcher in baseball.
“I knew from the first pitch that he was in good shape all night,” Freddie Freeman, the previous night’s hero, said after Los Angeles won 4-2 in Game 2. “It was a great first start in the World Series and we got everything we needed from him. He delivered.”
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Yamamoto has already dominated the Yankees in New York, pitching seven scoreless innings in a performance that many point to as a case study in his ability to handle the sport’s most high-pressure environments. Nearly five months later, three of them spent rehabbing a shoulder injury that may have been caused by a crushing outing, he did it again at home in the most important start of his career, with the Dodgers two wins away from the final prize. I didn’t allow it. Made a Yankees team he once imagined wearing a pinstriped shirt.
A standing ovation from 52,725 fans, many chanting “Yoshi,” awaited Yamamoto as he left the mound after allowing one run in 6.1 innings in his longest start since his tourney in the Bronx.
“I’m really proud of him,” Mookie Betts said.
Aside from the importance of the stage, there was one significant difference Saturday compared to previous starters against the Yankees. This time he had to face Juan Soto. If not for the Yankees’ lefty, Yamamoto would have kept New York off the scoreboard again.
The only blemish on Yamamoto’s night was a solo shot in the third inning when Soto hit an inside fastball in his sixth at-bat. That was the only hit that Yamamoto would surrender. He retired the next 11 batters he faced, including his second strikeout of Aaron Judge, before Roberts handed the game over to the Dodgers’ bullpen.
This outing was the first time Yamamoto pitched more than five innings since returning from a shoulder injury on September 10, before making seven starts.
“Obviously coming to this league can be a big culture shock,” reliever Daniel Hudson said. “This country, this league, is completely different than where he grew up, playing there, so everyone thought there would be some growing pains there, but he’s an elite talent and he’s got a good head on his shoulders… “We were really happy to have him back at the end of the year.”
Last year in Japan, Yoshinobu Yamamoto made a comeback and made a name for himself, especially on the country’s biggest stage. He allowed 7 runs in Game 1 of the Japan Series and bounced back by pitching 138 pitches and pitching a complete game with 14 strikeouts, a series record.
It was similar when I first tasted the big league postseason. He pitched three innings against San Diego in Game 1 of the National League Division Series and pitched five scoreless innings in the decisive Game 5 to help the Dodgers defeat the first-round demons. Gavin Lux referred to Yamamoto at the time as a “little Walk Buehler.” “It’s in there,” he said, referring to his big game skills.
In the most important game of his big league career Saturday night, Yamamoto didn’t need to get emotional. There was no need for a counterattack. As Dodgers Vice President of Player Relations Galen Carr, who recruited Yamamoto several times in Japan, predicted before the start of the game, he played hard all night long.
“It’s really hard to be in these guys’ shoes when they change leagues, change countries, change cultures and everything is different – the ball, the mound, the schedule, the travel,” Carr said.
Yamamoto said he thought last year’s Japan Series experience was completely different from his first major league postseason. The reason is that this is the first season in the new league. According to Carr, Yamamoto and those close to him believed that after an adjustment period, he would succeed.
After allowing five runs over three innings in his first playoff start, Yamamoto held the Padres scoreless in the next timeout. He then recorded eight strikeouts in his lone start in the NLCS vs. the Mets before registering a near-perfect World Series appearance against one of the most patient and powerful lineups in sports.
Yamamoto said through an interpreter ahead of Game 2 of the World Series, “I feel more at ease every time I throw the last three games.”
This time they won against the Yankees in a different way. In June, he showed off more sliders than ever before. It was that pitch that helped fuel his success even in his lone start to the NLCS.
But he didn’t need it to thrive again in the sequel against the Yankees. His slider accounted for only two of 12 swings and misses in Game 2 of the World Series. Yamamoto relied heavily on his four-seamer, which after pitching erratically early on, made his second run through the lineup, throwing six curveballs called strikes.
“He seems to have a little more control, trusting his stuff,” shortstop Miguel Rojas said. “Especially at the beginning of the year, he didn’t know the hitters, he didn’t know the league. But I know this guy’s pedigree, where he came from, what he did, so it’s not surprising. The first year we played these games in Japan, he came to the United States. “I’m really excited because he’s going to bring a lot of energy and confidence to him when he comes.”
A home run by NLCS MVP Tommy Edman gave Yamamoto an early lead. After Solo’s blast tied the game, the depth of the Dodgers’ lineup became apparent. Teoscar Hernández immediately responded with a two-run shot, followed by Freeman’s solo home run.
Freeman’s two blasts in the series brought back memories of past Dodgers World Series winners.
His Game 1 release was eerily similar to Kirk Gibson’s iconic 1988 Game 1 pinch-hit home run. On Saturday, Freeman’s latest feat dates back to the Dodgers’ victory over the Yankees in the 1981 Fall Classic. It was the last time the Dodgers hit back-to-back home runs in a World Series, courtesy of Pedro Guerrero and Steve Yeager.
Freeman didn’t get much sleep Friday night. He was tossing and turning, partly because all three of his children were too tired to stay awake, and partly because he had hit the first walk-off grand slam in World Series history. On Saturday he got a quick boost. Freeman received the first standing ovation of the night.
“Walking up to the plate today, my first at-bat, it was hard not to smile on the inside,” Freeman said.
The second player went to Yamamoto after the last pitch of the night. Roberts’ trip to the mound to get rid of him was done at a leisurely pace.
The sight of Roberts leaving the dugout in the bottom half of the frame was more rushed and worrying. The Dodgers had a commanding 2-0 lead in the series, but it may have come at a cost. Shohei Ohtani was caught stealing in the 7th inning and suffered a subluxation of his left shoulder.
Roberts is encouraged by Ohtani’s strength and range of motion and currently expects him to be in the lineup when the series moves to New York, but he won’t know more until further scans are completed.
That makes it all the more important that their other major offseason signing, a $325 million player, performed almost flawlessly.
“Yamamoto was amazing,” Freeman said.
Rowan Cavner He is an MLB writer for FOX Sports. He previously covered the Los Angeles Dodgers, Los Angeles Clippers and Dallas Cowboys. An LSU graduate, Rowan was born in California and grew up in Texas before moving back to the West Coast in 2014. Follow him on Twitter. @Rowankabner.
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