Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Yoshinobu Yamamoto shaky in first game against Giants

By Matthew Brown | Last updated May 14, 2024 8:31 AM ET

Yoshinobu Yamamoto got his first taste of the Dodgers-Giants rivalry Monday night in the hostile Oracle Park.

Yamamoto came into the game having only given up two runs over his previous three outings. San Francisco would tag him for four runs over 5.2 innings.

After Los Angeles got out to a 1-0 lead, the Giants' No. 8 hitter, Luis Matos, hit a three-run homer in the second inning.

Yamamoto would settle down for a few innings, getting the next 12 hitters he faced out. The Dodgers would come back to tie the game 3-3 going into the sixth inning.

However, Yamamoto would pitch into trouble again. He allowed a walk, a hit, and a go-ahead single to Heliot Ramos, ending Yamamoto's night. It was the first time Yamamoto didn't complete at least six innings pitched in four starts.

Even without his best stuff, Yamamoto still struck out six hitters.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Painted 85mph Slider. ️ pic.twitter.com/svfnGBmV9u
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) May 14, 2024

"My stuff wasn't bad, but in the situation I needed to hold them to zero [runs]," Yamamoto said through his interpreter after the game. "I left the ball hanging and they took advantage."

The Dodgers would wind up winning the game in extra innings (6-4) after Will Smith hit a go-ahead double in the top of the 10th inning.

Matthew Brown

Matthew Brown lives in the Los Angeles area and has grown up a Dodger fan his whole life. Matthew graduated from CSU Long Beach with his bachelor's degree in journalism in 2022. Whenever Matthew is not watching baseball, you can find him playing through the Halo video game series as well as collecting bobbleheads and Funko Pops.

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