Yoshinobu Yamamoto's complete-game gem against the New York Yankees came at a perfect time for a Dodgers team looking to keep its pitchers rested.
Dodgers starting pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto, right, and catcher Dalton Rushing celebrate after an 8-2 win over the New York Yankees at Sunday. With a bullpen game looming in the nightcap, Yamamoto’s efficiency saves arms and cements his status as the staff ace.right-hander had just finished a complete game with a cutter on the outside corner for a strikeout.
His understated reaction before clasping hands with Rushing seemed to simply say,“For Yoshi to come back and do what he did and to perform the way he did,” manager Dave Roberts said, “that’s why he’s our ace. ”over the New York Yankees in Game 1 of a doubleheader on Sunday. It was his first complete game since Game 2 of the World Series against the Toronto Blue Jays.
Shohei Ohtani’s ongoing knee troubles could force the Dodgers to confront a future without the two-way star’s pitching earlier than anticipated. With a bullpen game scheduled for the evening half of a doubleheader Sunday, the Dodgers were counting on Yamamoto to pitch deep into Game 1 and let as many relievers as possible rest up.
“When I was going into the game early on, I was not thinking about that today we have a doubleheader,” Yamamoto said through interpreter Yoshihiro Sonoda. “I was just focusing on my own job. And then on a day like this, to be able to perform like this, that was a good thing. ” Yamamoto was so efficient that he only needed 102 pitches to complete nine innings.
He gave up four hits and struck out seven. He got all the way through the Yankees’ lineup the first time without allowing a baserunner. And in those nine at-bats, he only threw one first-pitch ball.
“It just seemed like he was dictating counts all day long,” Roberts said, “versus trying to be too fine, getting behind. ” To lead off the fourth inning, Yamamoto surrendered a solo homer to Trent Grisham. But then he was back to cruising, retiring 12 of the next 13 batters.
“He had a good seventh, and it just felt like he could finish his game,” Roberts said. “Thinking about where his pitch count was at, the stress, where that was at, and also knowing that we’ve got another game in a few hours. ” Yamamoto would have navigated through the eighth without giving up another run if center fielder Andy Pages hadn’t lost Jazz Chisholm Jr.’s leadoff fly ball in the sun for a double.
Chisholm later scored on a single from Anthony Volpe. Shohei Ohtani was tentatively scheduled to start Wednesday against the Phillies, after promising initial reports on his recovery from an injection in his left knee. Yamamoto’s consistency has steadied the Dodgers’ rotation, while it’s had to navigate injuries to veteran starters Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow and most recently Shohei Ohtani. Yamamoto leads the team with 119⅔ innings.
And his performance Sunday brought his ERA to 2.78.
“In one game, it’s great,” Roberts said. “But the exponential effect that it has on everybody else, it is huge, and it’s hard to really nail down how valuable that is. “If you have a guy that not only puts you in a position to win a game, but also saves a lot of arms, that goes hand-in-hand with the top end of the rotation guy.
” Yamamoto said he’s reflected on his season so far, but when asked about his affect on the pitching staff already this year, he pushed the conversation forward. Maddie Lee covers the Dodgers for the Los Angeles Times. She joined the paper in March 2026 after six years in Chicago, where she was a Cubs beat writer for the Chicago Sun-Times and NBC Sports Chicago.
Her previous stops include the Oklahoman, the Clarion-Ledger, the Salt Lake Tribune and the Owensboro Messenger-Inquirer.
Please follow us on Google to support usUnited States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News: You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day Unveils Shocker's Gauntlet in New TrailerHot Toys Collectibles has unveiled a Special Edition Deluxe Version of a Spider-Man toy with Shocker's Gauntlet, which fans can equip their web-slinger with to recreate Spider-Man's epic battle against the Hulk.
Read more »
Avengers Unlock a New Era: A Brand-New Hero Debuts This SeptemberMarvel reveals that Avengers: Armageddon 4, releasing September 16, will introduce an entirely new core hero who will spearhead the upcoming radical relaunch of the Avengers comic series. This debut marks the first step in a major transformation for the franchise, as the team becomes 'Earth's Mightiest Survivors' following a catastrophic event.
Read more »
Yankees barely put up a fight against Yoshinobu Yamamoto in another loss to the DodgersYoshinobu Yamamoto pitched a four-hitter, and the Dodgers defeated the Yankees 8-2 in the opener of their day-night doubleheader Sunday.
Read more »
Dodgers take first game of doubleheader behind dominant Yoshinobu YamamotoYamamoto goes the distance and gives the bullpen the morning off
Read more »