Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto didn't have one of his better outings when he last pitched against the Philadelphia Phillies in the National League Division Series. Now that the Dodgers have moved on to the National League Championship Series, Yamamoto wants to get back to what's worked for him all season long.
Yamamoto will get the ball for a Game 2 start as the Dodgers look to increase their 1-0 best-of-seven series lead over the Milwaukee Brewers. Los Angeles survived a late rally from the Brewers to win 2-1 on Monday night.
How has Yamamoto looked in postseason play? His numbers indicate that he's 3-1 with a 3.38 ERA in six career postseason starts.
His NLDS Game 3 start against the Phillies started out like a regular Yamamoto start, getting hitters out consistently through the first three innings. In the fourth, though, he allowed three earned runs and was pulled by Dodgers manager Dave Roberts in the fifth.
In Yamamoto's previous start against the Brewers at American Family Field, he surrendered a three-run home run to first baseman Andrew Vaughn. That was quite a smack for Vaughn, who had just gotten to Milwaukee after being released by the Chicago White Sox earlier in the 2025 season.
"Last time I was here, the outcome was not as expected," Yamamoto said, according to MLB.com. "And obviously, the lineup -- it's a great lineup. They can hit home runs, string together hits. So I would like to get myself ready as best as possible."
Yamamoto showed up at a Monday press conference with his hair dyed a bit darker. Here's hoping an updated look will result in a Game 2 victory for Yamamoto and the Dodgers.
First pitch is at 8:08 p.m. Eastern and the game will be televised on TBS, truTV, and HBO Max. TBS will have a pre-game and post-game show while MLB Network also will have coverage of the game, too, on its streaming platform.