Yoshinobu Yamamoto leads the way for the Los Angeles Dodgers as they post a 4-1 win over the Toronto Blue Jays.
It's déjà vu all over again.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto toed the slab for the Los Angeles Dodgers as they continued their World Series rematch against the Toronto Blue Jays. The last time Yamamoto stepped onto the mound at the Rogers Centre, he led the Dodgers to the promised land -- a World Series championship -- in a historic performance.
The Dodgers remain a perfect 5-0 during their first road trip of the season, beating the Blue Jays 4-1 on Tuesday night.
Although Tuesday's performance on the mound would not be heralded as historic, it was still enough to lead the Dodgers to a series win.
Yamamoto turned in six innings of one-run ball while only giving up five hits, one walk, and striking out six.
Apr 7, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto (18) delivers a pitch against the Toronto Blue Jays in the first inning at Rogers Centre. -- Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images "Clearly, he struggled a bit at the start," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said on Yamamoto's outing. "He threw a lot of pitches early on. But after that, he really found his rhythm beautifully."
The Dodgers' offense was kept quiet compared to the past couple of days, but RBIs from Shohei Ohtani, Will Smith, Alex Freeland, and Kyle Tucker proved to be the difference makers.
Freeland produced his best game of the season, going 3-for-3 with a sacrifice bunt and two runs.
"It felt amazing," Freeland said in the postgame as he reflected on his performance in the win. "I've just been trying to be consistent and keep producing good at-bats."
Yamamoto was dialed in for the first five innings, only giving up a hit that Tucker misread and ended up being a double. Heading into the sixth inning, Yamamoto had retired the last 12 batters that he faced.
Apr 7, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (17) hits a single against the Toronto Blue Jays in the third inning at Rogers Centre. -- © Dan Hamilton-Imagn ImagesThat was until Andrés Giménez led off the inning with a single, and George Springer put the Blue Jays on the board to avoid the shutout.
That would prove to be all for Yamamoto in his outing.
The Dodgers bullpen once again showed up in the crucial moments. In the blink of an eye, the bases were loaded for Alex Vesia on the mound in the seventh.
He induced a flyout, a strikeout, and then got Springer to fly out to right field to keep the Blue Jays at bay.
Edwin Díaz took care of Toronto in the bottom of the ninth inning despite running into some trouble.
Looking ahead to Wednesday, the Dodgers go for the sweep in Canada as Shohei Ohtani gets a start at an early start time.
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