Column: Yoshinobu Yamamoto bounces back from struggles to deliver under pressure
The shortest player on the field at Dodger Stadium looked as if he was the tallest.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto was a giant on Friday night.
And to think the 5-foot-10 right-hander from Japan started for the Dodgers in Game 5 of their National League Division Series only because they figured their relievers couldn’t pitch the entire game.
Yamamoto turned the anticipated bullpen game for the Dodgers into something more conventional. The three innings they were counting on him to pitch became four, and eventually five. He never conceded a run.
Dylan Hernández is a sports columnist with the Los Angeles Times. Before that, he was the Dodgers beat writer. Hernandez grew up in South Pasadena and graduated from UCLA in 2002, after which he worked at the San Jose Mercury News for five years.
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Yamamoto bests Darvish in a memorable contest as the Los Angeles Dodgers defeat the San Diego Padres 2-0 to advance to the NLCS
The Los Angeles Dodgers spent $1 billion on Japanese talent during the offseason, and it’s paying off in the playoffs. Yoshinobu Yamamoto outperformed Yu Darvish in a historic postseason matchup featuring Japanese-born pitchers.
The Dodgers secured home runs from Kiké Hernández and Teoscar Hernández to defeat the San Diego Padres 2-0 on Friday, allowing them to advance to the National League Championship Series. “It’s pretty sweet,” said a smiling Freddie Freeman.
Yamamoto gave up only two hits over five innings to earn the win, leaving the game after 63 pitches in a crucial Game 5 between rival teams that have faced off in the Division Series three times in five years.
He signed a $325 million, 12-year contract in December, shortly after the Dodgers brought in superstar Shohei Ohtani from the Los Angeles Angels with a record-setting $700 million, 10-year deal.
Ohtani and the Dodgers will face the wild-card New York Mets in a best-of-seven NLCS starting Sunday in Los Angeles. “We’re ready for the next level,” manager Dave Roberts said.
This was the first time the Dodgers won a decisive Game 5 at home since their 1981 NL Division Series victory against Houston, which took place after a season interrupted by a players’ strike.
“We went through a lot of injuries, a lot of ups and a lot of downs. We fight, we fight and keep going,” said star outfielder Mookie Betts.
“All season everybody says the Dodgers are winning the World Series, the Dodgers are winning the World Series. And we get to this series, and all of a sudden we’re the underdog.”
