Max Muncy’s sacrifice fly in the tenth sealed a dramatic 4–3 win for the Dodgers on Tuesday night, but it was Yoshinobu Yamamoto who did the heavy lifting.
The Japanese star was electric, tossing seven scoreless innings and allowing just three baserunners. He carried a no-hitter into the seventh and threw a career-high 110 pitches. It was exactly what the Dodgers needed after a tough stretch.
Even though Yamamoto did not get the win, thanks to two late Diamondbacks homers that tied the game in the ninth and put them ahead in the tenth, his performance was a strong response after being hit hard by Arizona two starts ago.
“I thought he might go the distance,” said Muncy. “He had no-hit stuff. It’s tough we only gave him one run. Not our best work. But walking away with the win is what counts.”
The Dodgers had come into the game on a four-match losing streak. Their starting pitchers had struggled badly, with a combined ERA of 7.89 over the first seven games of the homestand. During the skid, they had been outscored 32–20.
“Yoshi was fantastic,” said manager Dave Roberts. “We pushed him more than we’ve done all year, and he earned it. His splitter and curve were sharp. He really competed.”
Yamamoto started strong, retiring the first nine batters and ending a run of five straight games where the Dodgers gave up a first-inning run. He remained dominant until Ketel Marte walked in the fourth and broke up the no-hitter with a seventh-inning single off the wall.
“Going all nine is hard, and my pitch count was climbing,” said Yamamoto through an interpreter. “So I wasn’t really thinking about the no-hitter.”
One of the game’s biggest moments came in the seventh. With two outs and runners on the corners, Roberts stuck with Yamamoto, who had just walked a batter on pitch number 104. Yamamoto responded by striking out Pavin Smith, sparking a roar from the crowd.
“I just felt he was our best option,” Roberts said. “Not about pitch count or matchups. We needed him to finish that inning, and he did.”
It was Yamamoto’s second game of seven shutout innings this season, and third of his young MLB career. After being knocked around by Arizona earlier this month, he bounced back well against the A’s and then took another big step forward on Tuesday.
With injuries in the rotation, Yamamoto has become a key figure. Of the team’s 12 starts of six innings or more this season, he has delivered half.
“He might have felt the pressure, but you wouldn’t know it,” said Muncy. “He’s been solid since Spring. This performance didn’t surprise me.”
Photo: Ronald Martinez/Getty Images
