Dodgers Impressed By Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s Postseason Success

The Los Angeles Dodgers took a 2-1 lead in the National League Division Series on Tuesday night behind Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s stellar start against the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park.

The right-hander allowed just one run on four hits and recorded 10 strikeouts against one walk over seven strong innings. He once again delivered in a pivotal swing game and now has the Dodgers one victory away from advancing to the NL Championship Game.

Tarik Skubal has only been with the team for a few months, but he has come to expect those kind of performances from Yamamoto, via Katie Woo of The Athletic:

“It’s probably not fair to say that I expect that out of him because that’s a really great performance,” Skubal said. “But it’s not surprising at all.”

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“He’s just so meticulous with everything he does,” Skubal said. “His preparation, his warm-up, his routine, his throwing, his bullpens. Every throw — there’s attention to detail on everything he does.

“Everything he does has a purpose, and I believe that’s why he goes and performs on big stages because nothing changes for him,” Skubal continued. “It’s the same thing, every start for him, every inning, every pitch is all the same. So when playoffs start happening and stages change and moments happen, like he’s as prepared as anybody.”

Miguel Rojas also praised Yamamoto and said he always lives up to his reputation as a big-game pitcher:

“He’s been our ace for three years now,” Miguel Rojas said. “He’s been really impressive every time he takes the ball in situations like this.”

Yamamoto made MLB postseason history with his start against the Braves during the pitch tracking era, and he extended a streak of not allowing more than one run or one walk, per OptaSTATS.

Yamamoto improved to 8-1 with a 2.14 and 0.83 WHIP in 63 innings across 11 career postseason appearances (10 starts).

Yoshinobu Yamamoto willing to pitch in any situation

In the event the Dodgers and Braves play to a Game 5, Yamamoto indicated he is ready to take on whatever the Dodgers ask of him.

“I’m going to get myself ready for any situation,” Yamamoto said through interpreter Yoshihiro Sonoda when asked if he would be willing to start on short rest or pitch out of the bullpen during the playoffs.

Yamamoto famously threw back-to-back complete games in the playoffs last year, then was warming up to enter in the 19th inning during Game 3 of the World Series against the Toronto Blue Jays. That appearance would have come just two days after Yamamoto’s complete game at Rogers Centre.

Instead, he next pitched in Game 6, throwing six innings as the Dodgers staved off elimination. He heroically followed that with 2.2 innings to finish out Game 7, making MLB history and earning World Series MVP honors in the process.