Predicting when Yoshinobu Yamamoto will pitch again for Dodgers

After a historic performance in Game 2 of the National League Championship Series, the big question becomes, when will Yoshinobu Yamamoto take the mound again for the Los Angeles Dodgers?

The 27-year-old right-hander made history by throwing a complete game against the Milwaukee Brewers in a 5-1 win on Tuesday night, becoming the first Dodgers pitcher to log a complete game in the postseason since 2004. He was also the first Japanese-born pitcher to throw a complete game in October, limiting the Brewers to three hits and one run in a 111-pitch masterpiece.

So how will the Dodgers use him next? The answer to that is complicated and depends on what happens next in their NLCS battle against the Brewers.

Predicting Yoshinobu Yamamoto's postseason schedule

If the Dodgers, who hold a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven NLCS as the series shifts to Southern California, go on to sweep the Brewers (or even beat them in five games), Yamamoto could well be the Game 1 starter when the World Series opens on Friday, Oct. 24.

If Dodgers manager Dave Roberts chooses to use Yamamoto as his World Series Game 1 pitcher, it could give the Dodgers more chances to use him depending on how long the World Series lasts. That includes the potential of bringing him out of the bullpen if needed later in the Fall Classic, similar to how the San Francisco Giants used dominant starter Madison Bumgarner out of the bullpen successfully in Game 7 of the 2014 World Series against the Kansas City Royals.

Of course, that scenario is with the Dodgers dispatching the Brewers in four or five games. If Milwaukee extends the series and forces it to go back to Wisconsin for NLCS Game 6, Yamamoto would likely draw the start in that game. Scheduled six days after Yamamoto pitched in Game 2, that would keep him on a regular schedule.

If the Dodgers advance after that, Yamamoto would likely be forced to wait until Game 2 or Game 3 of the World Series to make his presence felt.

Whatever happens with the Dodgers and Brewers at Chavez Ravine, baseball fans will be very interested to see if Yamamoto can follow up his Game 2 success with another gem in his next outing.