An elite start from Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and a pair of seventh-inning homers helped the Los Angeles Dodgers strike back to beat the Toronto Blue Jays 5-1 in Game 2 of the World Series on Saturday, knotting up the World Series 1-1.
Kevin Gausman was stellar for the Jays too, retiring 17 straight batters before Will Smith and Max Muncy each smashed solo shots off Toronto’s starter to break open a 1-1 game, tying the best-of-seven series as it swings to Los Angeles.
But Dodgers starter Yamamoto had a phenomenal playoff performance, sitting down 20 Blue Jays in a row. The Japanese pitcher allowed four hits and one run, while punching out eight as he pitched all nine innings. Yamamoto is on a remarkable run, having also thrown a complete game against the Milwaukee Brewers in the NLCS.
“He was that good,” said Jays manager John Schneider of Yamamoto. “Second complete game in a row in the postseason, that’s pretty impressive, with a layoff in between. I think he made it hard for us to make him work. He was in the zone, split was in and out of the zone. It was a really good performance by him.”
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Game 2 was a very different game from Friday’s Game 1, when the Jays ran Dodgers starter Blake Snell from the game early, got to the bullpen, and crushed 14 hits on the night – including three homers – to thump the reigning world champs 11-4.
“Today’s game, we had to win,” said Yamamoto. “So that’s just how I treated this game.”
This time, the Dodgers took a fast 1-0 lead in the first inning, thanks to an RBI single from Smith.
Alejandro Kirk tied Saturday’s game in the third, when the Toronto catcher cracked a sacrifice fly to bring in George Springer, who had reached base getting hit by a pitch for the second time in the postseason.
Through the middle innings, it was a duel of the two starters.
“It felt like we didn’t really get to give ourselves much of a break, either guy,” said Gausman. “Just kind of constantly back and forth. But, you know, in a pitcher’s duel, that’s kind of what it feels like.”
Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto works during Saturday's game.Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press
From the end of the first inning, through the top of the seventh, Gausman retired 17 LA batters in a row. Smith ended that streak when he crushed a solo shot over the left field wall. Two batters later, Muncy did the same. Gausman exited, having allowed three runs, four hits and striking out six.
“I thought Kev matched him pitch for pitch, really,” said Schneider. “They both had low pitch counts. It was kind of a classic pitchers’ duel and they made a couple more swings.”
Reliever Louis Varland got the Jays out of that inning but then he loaded the bases in the eighth. Closer Jeff Hoffman replaced him. The Dodgers scored two more – on a wild Hoffman pitch, plus a force out ground ball by Smith that brought Shohei Ohtani home.
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The Dodgers chose to let Yamamoto finish the game. He has pitched in big games in Japan, and felt the weight on his shoulders, so he had the trust of LA manager Dave Roberts.
“Outstanding, uber competitive, special. Yeah, he was just locked in tonight,” said Roberts of Yamamoto. “It was one of those things he said before the series, losing is not an option, and he had that look tonight.”
The next three games of the series take place at Dodgers Stadium, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Max Scherzer will get the start for the Jays in Game 3, while the Dodgers will tap Tyler Glasnow.