The Los Angeles Dodgers remained undefeated at home behind a recipe that’s proven to be plenty successful so far this season.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto turned in a gem and Tommy Edman provided the big swing for the Dodgers in their 3-0 win over the Chicago Cubs. The Dodgers are tied with the San Diego Padres for most wins in the Majors at 11, and they improved to 7-0 at Dodger Stadium so far in 2025.
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“They’ve been great. Tommy, driving in runs where, at times we’ve had a little trouble scoring. He’ll get a big hit, big homer with guys on base,” manager Dave Roberts said.
“Yamamoto, where in the last week the starting pitching has wavered a little bit, so to kind of reset our bullpen off an off day, five more days before another off day, we’re sort of reset right now. Just giving us length every single time out has been huge.”
Yamamoto didn’t allow a hit until Kyle Tucker’s one-out double in the fourth inning. Seiya Suzuki followed that with a single but was caught in a rundown for the second out.
Yamamoto then struck out Michael Busch and retired six of seven batters faced over the next two innings. He walked Ian Happ with two outs in the sixth inning before striking out Tucker.
“It was good to win the first game back at home,” Yamamoto said through interpreter Yoshihiro Sonoda. “I think my execution was pretty good.”
Yamamoto finished the night with nine strikeouts over six scoreless innings. He set a career high with 10 strikeouts in a start against the Detroit Tigers on March 28, and Friday’s game marked his second outing this year without an earned run allowed.
“He’s obviously been really good for us this year,” Roberts said. “I think each time out, you see a growing confidence with him. Even with big outs, I think he holds his adrenaline and makes pitches when he needs to. Right now he’s in a place where he’s really unflappable, which is good for us.”
Yoshinobu Yamamoto compared to Hideo Nomo
Dodgers franchise history is rich in pitching, and Yamamoto appears primed to cement his name among the organization’s most notable hurlers.
For Roberts, there already warrants a likeness to fellow Japanese native Hideo Nomo.
“I don’t want to make comparisons too much, but it’s kind of like Hideo,” Roberts said. “I think it’s really a two-pitch mix; mixing in a breaking ball to steal a strike and get back into a count. But you have hitters guessing.
“The split is a strike, then it’s a ball, or swing and miss, strikeout. There’s a good fastball that’s commanded, and that’s a lot like Hideo. He doesn’t have the tornado delivery, but it’s a lot like that. He’s just really confident right now.”
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