The Los Angeles Dodgers have taken the first step during the postseason of winning the World Series for a third consecutive year. They won their National League Division Series matchup against a solid Atlanta Braves team, winning the best-of-5 series in 4 games.
The Dodgers will attempt to take the next step by facing the Milwaukee Brewers in the National League Championship Series. The Brewers had the best record in Major League Baseball, and they will have home field advantage in the best-of-7 series. That matchup will get underway Sunday at Miller Park.
The Dodgers will send former Tiger Tarik Skubal to open the series in Game 1, and Yoshinobu Yamamoto will get the start in Game 2 Monday night. Yamamoto was the Most Valuable Player in the Dodgers' World Series victory over the Toronto Blue Jays. Yamamoto recorded three victories in the series for the Dodgers and all of his pitching wins were on the road at the Rogers Centre in Toronto. No starting pitcher in MLB history had won three road games in any other World Series.
While the Dodgers apparently consider him the No. 2 starter on their staff, he is the best No. 2 guy in either league. He may very well be better than Skubal, who is a two-time Cy Young Award winner.
Dodgers have a dominant pitching staff in postseason
There were a number of moments in the regular season when it looked like the Dodgers were somewhat shorthanded on the mound. Manager Dave Roberts had a number of injuries to contend with, but there was never any panic within the organization. Much of that is due to the knowledge that the team was largely in command of the National League West and they knew that by the time the postseason got underway, the pitching staff would be ready to take command.
In the case of the Dodgers, they used Skubal in Game 1 against the Braves and followed with Blake Snell in Game 2. When the series moved to Atlanta for Game 3, that's when Roberts went with Yamamoto. It's not that the brilliant Japanese pitcher is more comfortable pitching on the road than he is at home. It's that he is better on the road than any of the pitchers the Dodgers have.
Yamamoto excels at blocking out the distractions that come with pitching in front of the home team's fans. He has brilliant concentration and he excels at executing his pitches, particularly in challenging situations when the game is on the line.
Even though the Braves had tied the series with a win in Los Angeles in Game 2, there was little doubt that Yamamoto would come with his best effort at Truist Park. He gave the Dodgers 7.0 brilliant innings, striking out 10, allowing 4 hits and 1 earned run. He left the game with a 3-1 lead, and the Braves knew they had been held in check by one of the most outstanding pitchers in the game.
The Dodgers had a 2-1 lead in the series after that game and all the pressure was on the Braves. They needed to win Game 4 at home just to stay alive and would have had to travel back to Los Angeles and win at Dodger Stadium to take the series.
That did not happen as Tyler Glasnow took the ball from Roberts in Game 4 and gave the Dodgers 4.2 innings before the bullpen took over. The Dodgers finished off the series with a 4-1 victory.
When the Dodgers needed a starter to set the tone in the most challenging game, they asked Yamamoto to do the job. He carried the team on his right shoulder.
Consistent effectiveness every time Yamamoto takes the mound
During the year, Yamamoto was consistently giving the Dodgers a professional effort. He started 28 times for Los Angeles and he compiled a 14-9 record. He had a 2.53 earned run average and he gave them a team-high 185.0 innings and struck out 182 batters while walking 42.
Article Continues BelowYamamoto can always be counted on to give the Dodgers a minimum of 6.0 inning and will usually go more than that. He had a complete game this season and could have more if the Dodgers ever wanted him to go the full 9 innings.
As a postseason pitcher, he is even better. He is 8-1 in his three seasons with the Dodgers. Yamamoto has a spectacular 2.14 ERA and in addition to starting 10 games, he finished off Game 7 a year ago in Toronto. He pitched the final 2.2 innings as the Dodgers won the game in 11 innings.
That performance came a night after he earned a victory in Game 6, allowing the Dodgers to tie the series and force a seventh game.
If either the National League Championship Series or the World Series comes down to a seventh game, rest assured that Yamamoto will be available to the Dodgers to either start or finish the game. On a team with bright stars up and down the lineup and on the mound, Yamamoto is near the very top of the list.