World Series 2024: Yoshinobu Yamamoto delivers his best and most efficient performance yet as the Dodgers take a 2-0 lead over the Yankees

LOS ANGELES – Yoshinobu Yamamoto was looking for something.

Things have been mixed since he returned to the Dodgers on Sept. 10 after being on the injured list with a right rotator cuff strain. The right-hander had a few good starts, a few bad starts and a few starts in between. As October began, the team was still hoping he would return to form over the course of the postseason. But before Game 2 of the World Series, the Dodgers were left wondering what version of Yamamoto they would get.

When he handed the ball to Dave Roberts on Saturday night and walked off the mound in the seventh inning to a thunderous standing ovation from the 52,725 fans at Dodger Stadium, he had answered that question.

The best version.

“Yamamoto, he was made for these moments,” said Teoscar Hernández, who scored in the Dodgers' 4-2 win in the second game.

On Saturday, Yamamoto pitched for the first time in the World Series, but he looked like a seasoned veteran against the Yankees, who were among the finalists to sign him last winter. For a man who has been considered a star since he was 18 and has played for Team Japan on the world stage, perhaps it's in his DNA to look confident in big moments.

“It was a mixed feeling when we came into the game,” Yamamoto said afterwards. “Because I was really looking forward to it and was happy. After I felt that, I started to concentrate.”

The Yankees battled the Dodgers' rookie in the first inning, grueling at-bats and forcing him to throw extra pitches. After throwing 21 points in the first frame, it appeared to be a short night for Yamamoto.

But what made his Game 2 effort different from other appearances since his return from injury was the way he settled into a rhythm. For the first time in October, Yamamoto worked efficiently and got quick outs.

“I gave up a home run (to Juan Soto) and allowed them to tie the game,” he said, referring to the only hit he gave up. “(But) I got run support and was able to hold them to zero after that inning.”

In his previous start against the Mets in NLCS Game 4, Yamamoto had his strikeout performances going, striking out eight in the game. But he wasn't efficient, only lasting 4 1/3 innings.

Against the Yankees, he managed to put it all together and win the ball after Soto's solo home run in the third inning. From that moment on, Yamamoto defeated the Yankees without much of a fight. He retired the last 11 batters he faced, and after that 21-pitch first, he threw 64 pitches in his final 5 1/3 innings.

The Japanese star finished the game with one run and one hit, two walks and four strikeouts in 6 1/3 innings. It was the first time he had pitched in the seventh inning since – coincidentally – starting against the Yankees in June.

“If you watched him throw the baseball, there wasn’t a lot of stress in the game,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “He hasn’t been in the seventh inning since that Yankee game. (But) I felt like – I think he threw up to 76 pitches, so I felt like we had a good foundation.”

Yamamoto's ability to push through the seventh inning bodes well for him and the bullpen going forward, but perhaps more importantly, he looks as confident and healthy as he has all season.

“When I left IL, I was almost back to where I was before,” Yamamoto said. “After that, after I started pitching games, I think I got better.”

Hernández added: “Today I told him it would be a good evening for him.”

When the Dodgers signed Yamamoto to a record 12-year, $325 million contract last offseason, they weren't signing an unknown commodity. They signed a player who has been one of the best starting players in the world since he was a teenager. When the season began, the Dodgers and the rest of the MLB saw this.

And while Yamamoto took some time to get back into shape after his injury, he was at his best when the Dodgers needed him most.

“The team gave this kid so much money not because…this isn't the draft. He doesn’t assume he’s going to be great – he’s great,” Kiké Hernández said during the NLDS. “…that's him. And we’re not surprised at all.”

“When he goes out and executes, that’s a really good thing,” catcher Will Smith said.

The Dodgers now hold a commanding 2-0 lead in the World Series heading into their first game in the Bronx on Monday. One of the first trends for LA was the first pitching teams to appear in a big way. Jack Flaherty and Yamamoto combined to throw 11 2/3 innings in the team's two victories while allowing just three runs with two home runs. Not having to move into the bullpen early could soon pay off big time.

Since there are no off days between Games 3, 4 and 5 in New York and the Dodgers still have a bullpen game left, having a rested relief corps is a big advantage as they try to beat the Yankees with the Keep your back to the wall.