1 of 5 | Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto (C) celebrates with catcher Will Smith (R) after beating the Milwaukee Brewers in Game 2 of the National League Championship Series on Tuesday at American Family Field in Milwaukee. Photo by Tannen Maury/UPI | License Photo
Yoshinobu Yamamoto allowed a leadoff homer before logging the first playoff complete game in eight years, leading the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 2-0 NLCS lead.
Yamamoto, whose night started with a first-pitch homer from right fielder Jackson Chourio, included just two more hits allowed and no more runs surrendered en route to the 5-1 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday in Milwaukee. He also issued seven strikeouts over the 111-pitch effort.
“It was great for me that I established my rhythm and then I dictated the tempo,” Yamamoto told reporters.
Yamamoto’s complete game was the first authored by any pitcher in the playoffs since Justin Verlander led the Houston Astros past the New York Yankees in Game 2 of the 2017 ALCS. Verlander allowed five hits and one run, with 13 strikeouts, on 124 pitches for that victory.
Yamamoto’s gem also followed another spun by Blake Snell, who allowed one hit over eight shutout innings in the Dodgers’ Game 1 win Monday in Milwaukee.
“These pitchers brought out the worst in us,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said.
Dodgers right fielder Teoscar Hernandez and third baseman Max Muncy each hit solo homers in Game 2 on Tuesday at American Family Field. Designated hitter Shohei Ohtani, second baseman Tommy Edman and outfielder Andy Pages also drove in runs for the Dodgers, who will host the Brewers in Game 3 on Wednesday at Dodger Stadium.
“There’s a lot of talent in the room,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “It speaks to character in the sense of whatever happens, it doesn’t faze us.”
Chourio sent Yamamoto’s first pitch of Game 2 — a 96.9-mph fastball — 389-feet to right field, where it landed in the Dodgers bullpen. He didn’t allow another hit until the third inning.
The Dodgers took the lead in the second and never looked back. Hernandez tied the score with a 377-foot solo homer off Brewers starter Freddy Peralta in the second at-bat of the second frame. Pages plated left fielder Enrique Hernandez with an RBI double later in the inning for a 2-1 edge.
The Dodgers finally added to their lead when Muncy smacked a 412-foot solo homer in the top of the sixth. Ohtani and Edman plated the final two runs of the night with respective RBI singles in the seventh and eighth.
Yamamoto retired the final 14 Brewers batters in order, including a game-ending strikeout to first baseman Andrew Vaughn.
First pitch for Game 3 is set for 6:08 p.m. EDT Thursday in Los Angeles.
“You guys might have us counted out, and I understand that. 90% of the teams that have been in this situation don’t win the series,” Murphy said. “But this team has been counted out a lot this year and I think there is some fight left in them.”
