Mount Yamamoto Dominates In 5-1 Gem, Series Tied

The swing inning

Facing a locked-in Kevin Gausman, the Dodgers finally broke through in the seventh:

• Will Smith launched a solo blast to left.

• Max Muncy followed with his own down the line, silencing a crowd that had cheered Carter’s ceremonial first pitch and nostalgia moment pregame.

Yamamoto meets the moment again

With L.A.’s bullpen shaky in Game 1 Yoshinobu Yamamoto erased the concern. By going the distance for the second straight postseason start. The first pitcher to do so since Curt Schilling (2001). He surrendered only a third-inning sacrifice fly and otherwise mixed everything splitter, curve, four-seamer, cutter, slider, sinker to carve through Toronto’s order with ruthless efficiency.

Contrast with Game 1

Toronto’s plan to grind out Blake Snell and reach the middle relief worked in the opener. In Game 2, Yamamoto never let that door open, outlasting Gausman and turning two swings into the series’ inflection point.

Box-score beats

• Dodgers: Smith (HR), Muncy (HR) provide the separation; add-on runs pad the cushion late.

• Blue Jays: Gausman strong through six-plus before the seventh-inning jolts; offense limited to a sac fly.

In Carter country, the Dodgers touched ’em all twice and rode a historic Yamamoto clinic to level the series with authority.