Yoshinobu Yamamoto led the Los Angeles Dodgers to a Game 2 victory in the World Series, tying the series as they head back to Dodger Stadium for the next three games.
Yamamoto did so by pitching another complete game, allowing just one run on four hits while striking out eight without issuing a walk. Though, he did hit one batter. It was Yamamoto’s second consecutive complete game, following a nine-inning, one-run performance with seven strikeouts against the Milwaukee Brewers.
“Outstanding, uber-competitive, special,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said of Yamamoto. “He was just locked in tonight. It was one of those things he said before the series, ‘Losing is not an option.’ He had that look tonight.”
Yamamoto became the first pitcher with consecutive complete games in a single postseason since Curt Schilling in 2001, when he had three in a row. Additionally, Yamamoto’s complete game was the first in a World Series since Johnny Cueto in 2015, and he’s the first with multiple complete games in one postseason since Madison Bumgarner in 2014.
“I love it. I love feeling that the starter is the best option to go six, seven, eight, and what Yamamoto is doing, nine innings,” Roberts said. “You got to be efficient, you got to have the weapons to be able to take down a lineup three times, four times, whatever it is, and you got to want to do it. So he is a throwback player.
“He works really hard in his prep and his delivery and the mindset. So for me, it’s a lot of fun to root for a guy, and you feel good about leaving a guy like that in. And he’s done it in back-to-back postseason games.”
Orel Hershiser was the last Dodgers pitcher with consecutive complete games in the postseason. Hershiser accomplished the feat three times in a row in 1988, beginning with Game 7 in the National League Championship Series and continuing with Games 2 and 5 in the World Series.
During his World Series start, Yamamoto retired 20 consecutive batters to end the game — the most by a Dodgers pitcher in a postseason contest, surpassing Carl Erskine’s previous mark of 19 in Game 5 of the 1952 World Series.
“You know, he’s pitched in huge ball games in Japan, he’s pitched in the WBC,” Roberts said. “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.”
What makes Yamamoto’s performances so impressive is he faced two lineups that are known for making pitchers work and avoiding strikeouts.
“My pitching style is just keep attacking the zone,” Yamamoto said through his interpreter. “So every pitch I throw, I focus on getting to the strike zone. So there’s not much adjustment in the game.”
Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Kevin Gausman make MLB history
Between Yamamoto and Kevin Gausman, the Dodgers and Blue Jays were locked into a true pitchers’ duel for much of the night. During one stretch of the game, both starters were cruising and tossed five perfect innings in a row.
That made Game 2 of the 2025 World Series the first game in postseason history where both starters retired 17 or more consecutive batters in a row.
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