Brewers managed to do what the Blue Jays couldn’t against Dodgers’ Yoshinobu Yamamoto

The Milwaukee Brewers just proved that Yoshinobu Yamamoto is, in fact, a mere mortal — even if he comes with a legendary post-season résumé.

Yamamoto lasted just 2.2 innings in Game 2 of the National League Championship Series, his shortest post-season start, as the Brewers handed the Los Angeles Dodgers a 7-4 loss on Monday (Oct. 12). Milwaukee repeatedly spoiled pitches, drove up his pitch count and knocked him out before the end of the third inning.

It was a stunning departure for a pitcher who has made dominating October his entire personality. Yamamoto, the 2025 World Series MVP, entered the night 8-1 with a 2.14 ERA in 11 career post-season appearances. In three previous starts following Dodgers losses, he was 3-0 with a 1.23 ERA. He's also got a 111-pitch complete game effort against the Brewers under his belt. That came in Game 2 of last year's NLCS in which the Dodgers beat the Brewers 5-1.

“I think everybody’s so used to him being a robot that if he didn’t go eight innings, no hits, whatever, it wasn’t Yamamoto,” Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts told reporters after the game. “It shows he’s a human being and it’s playoff baseball.”

The Brewers exposed that humanity by refusing to give him easy outs. The defining battle came in the third. With Milwaukee trailing 2-1 and runners on first and second, Jake Bauers worked a full count and fouled off six straight pitches. His 12-pitch plate appearance ended with a walk that loaded the bases and pushed Yamamoto deeper into an inning in which he would throw 36 pitches.

“It just got to a certain point where it was straight compete mode,” Bauers said. “A little bit like a blackout, just kind of in the flow a little bit.”

Christian Yelich followed with a two-run single to center, giving Milwaukee a 3-2 lead and ending Yamamoto’s night. He allowed four hits and two walks, struck out only one batter and threw 75 pitches. The seesaw battle continued even after Yamamoto left the game, but getting to him early was key for the Brew Crew.

Blue Jays fans watching Brewers dismantle Yoshinobu Yamamoto is bittersweet

That contrast is especially painful for Blue Jays fans. In the 2025 World Series, Yamamoto led the Dodgers past Toronto, winning Game 2 with a complete game before returning for two more decisive appearances on his way to World Series MVP honours.

After the Blue Jays teed off on Dodgers pitching in an 11-4 Game 1 victory, Yamamoto brought them back down to earth in Game 2. He allowed one run on four hits and went the distance, striking out eight over nine innings on 105 pitches.

He did it again six days later in Toronto, with the series on the line at Rogers Centre. The Blue Jays led 3-2 after taking Games 4 and 5 in Los Angeles, but Yamamoto delivered six quality innings in Game 6. He allowed one run on five hits and one walk, struck out six and threw 96 pitches as the Dodgers tied the series with a 3-1 win.

The very next night, Yamamoto came out of the bullpen and finished off the Blue Jays in Game 7 by throwing another 2.2 innings on 34 pitches. That gave him 235 pitches in seven days — legendary work by modern standards.

He entered in the bottom of the ninth with the score tied 4-4 and runners on first and second with one out. After hitting Alejandro Kirk with a pitch to load the bases, Yamamoto faced Daulton Varsho in one of the most agonizing at-bats in Blue Jays history. Varsho hit a ground ball to second baseman Miguel Rojas, who bobbled it, recovered and still threw out Isiah Kiner-Falefa at home.

The Dodgers’ defence bailed out Yamamoto again on the next pitch when Ernie Clement drove a ball into the left-centre-field gap. Centre fielder Andy Pages made the catch and held on to the ball despite colliding with left fielder Enrique Hernández.

Yamamoto worked a clean 10th inning before Will Smith hit a go-ahead home run in the top of the 11th to give Los Angeles a 5-4 lead. Yamamoto then finished the series by getting Kirk to ground into a double play. Toronto had several chances to make him look mortal and could not finish the job. Milwaukee did not let its opportunity slip away.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow