After losing the first game of their NL Championship Series (NLCS) tilt against the Milwaukee Brewers, the Los Angeles Dodgers needed a win. Luckily, the Dodgers had one of their aces, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, on the mound for Game 2. Last season's World Series MVP has turned in multiple stellar postseason starts throughout his short tenure with the franchise. However, Yamamoto was anything but stellar Monday night against the Brewers. After being pulled in the third inning, X (formerly Twitter) account Punchoutpitch shared a video of Yamamoto struggling to hold back tears in the Dodgers' dugout.
“Yoshinobu Yamamoto was seen crying in the Dodgers dugout after his poor start in game 2 against the Brewers,” posted the baseball-focused page Tuesday afternoon.
Yamamoto pitched just 2.2 innings, giving up three runs on four hits and two walks, striking out just one Brewer. The Japanese co-ace will need to bounce back if the Dodgers are able to reverse their current 0-2 deficit. He could be called upon to start once again later in the series, likely in a potential Game 6 or 7. If he shows that he can recapture last October's form, then Los Angeles stands a stronger chance of winning a third straight World Series.
However, the Dodgers need to focus on capturing Game 3. If Los Angeles can capture both Games 3 and 4 at home, then it's a whole new series. Yet, based on how the back-to-back World Series champions have played so far against Milwaukee, it's possible that the Dodgers' bid for a third straight title will fall short. If it does, they'll enter one of the most pivotal baseball offseasons in history with plenty of questions.