Yoshinobu Yamamoto on Tuesday hurled a complete game three-hitter as defending champions, the Los Angeles Dodgers, beat Milwaukee 5-1 to seize command of their MLB playoff series.
The 27-year-old Japanese right-hander, despite surrendering a home run on his first pitch, was the first Dodger to go the distance in the playoffs since 2004, retiring the final 14 Brewers batters he faced.
“That was the first heater. I feel [it was] regrettable,” Yamamoto said of the homer through a translator. “But I reset my mind and just focused on executing my own pitches.
Photo: AP
“I established my rhythm and kind of dictated the tempo and pace of the game, so that was great,” he added.
Yamamoto struck out six while allowing only one run on three hits and a walk for the first MLB playoff complete game by a Japan-born pitcher and the first by anyone since Justin Verlander in 2017.
Max Muncy and Teoscar Hernandez smacked home runs for the Dodgers, Muncy blasting his 14th to set the all-time Dodgers career playoff homer record.
The Dodgers grabbed a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven National League Championship Series (NLCS), which resumes in Los Angeles tomorrow morning Taipei time.
The NLCS winners are to play the American League Championship Series winners, either the Seattle Mariners or Toronto Blue Jays, in the World Series, which begins on Oct. 24.
The Mariners lead that series 2-0 with Game 3 this morning Taipei time in Seattle.
The Brewers tagged Yamamoto for five runs in two-thirds of an inning in a July regular-season contest, the shortest start of his MLB career, and made him pay early again.
Milwaukee’s Jackson Chourio smashed the first offering from Yamamoto over the right-field wall for the Brewers’ only run.
“I was able to complete the game, and as a player, that was great,” Yamamoto said. “I’m glad people trust me out there.”
Hernandez, a Dominican outfielder, answered with a solo homer in the second inning, blasting a Freddy Peralta curve ball over the left-field wall.
The Dodgers grabbed a 2-1 lead later in the second when Enrique Hernandez singled and scored on an Andy Pages double to right field.
Muncy bashed a solo homer off Dominican right-hander Peralta with two out in the sixth, boosting LA’s lead to 3-1 and sending the Brewers starter to the showers.
The Dodgers added another insurance run in the seventh inning when Enrique Hernandez doubled, took third base on a Pages sacrifice bunt and scored on Shohei Ohtani’s single to right field.
The visitors struck again in the eighth for a final run as Will Smith singled, took second when Muncy walked, reached third on a ground out by Teoscar Hernandez and scored on a Tommy Edman single.
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