The Dodgers beat the Pirates on Friday 4-2, penciling in another win on a Yoshinobu Yamamoto start day. They improved their record to 78-51 and sit 2 games back of Milwaukee for the best record in baseball.
LA’s $325 million man has been everything and more that they could have hoped for since joining the team in 2024.
Yamamoto got into some trouble in the first inning, hitting a batter before allowing the first run of the game to score on a Nick Gonzales RBI single. As he does, the Dodgers ace then settled in and got out of the inning with minimal damage.
“I thought early Yama wasn’t great with his split; it was up a little bit, but he worked through that, which is great. Our guys fight,” said Dave Roberts. “We were short on pitching, so we needed that.”
Max Muncy quickly snatched the lead for the Dodgers, hitting a 2-run homer in the bottom of the 1st inning.
The Pirates struck again in the 3rd, tagging Yamamoto for a run as Gonzales singled in another.
Los Angeles continued the back-and-forth streak once again, scoring 2 more runs in the bottom of the inning on a 2-out, bases-loaded single up the middle by Mookie Betts.
Yamamoto then cruised through the rest of the game unchallenged with a comfortable 2-run lead.
Pittsburgh did fight back to tie the game after Yamamoto’s departure, but the Dodgers still managed to exit with the win after Tommy Edman walked it off in the 10th with a single.
“That is one of the best feelings to be able to come through for the team after grinding for 10 innings. The pitchers did a really good job today, so it felt good to come through and not have to play a few more innings,” said Edman.
Yamamoto excels most at doing what is needed of him given the circumstances. He limits damage early in the game, avoiding crooked numbers and high pitch counts, but he also has the stuff late in games or in big jams to get out of innings unharmed.
He is elite at striking out batters when needed, but is just as deadly when he is not trying to miss bats.
“He’s so good and so much fun to play behind. He works fast and keeps guys off balance; nobody takes a really good swing off him, so we have a ton of confidence when he is out there, and he gives us a really good chance to win,” said Edman. “It seems like every time he pitches, you know what you are going to get.”
With a 6-pitch arsenal, Yamamoto can trick batters into easy flyouts or hard ground balls to turn double plays with ease, which in return gives him the chance to go deep into games. He ranks right at the top of the league in 2026 with 6.5 innings pitched per start.
Opposing offenses are batting .179 against Yamamoto. His 2.62 ERA ranks 8th in the majors, and his 0.89 WHIP sits behind only Jacob Misiorowski. 3 years into his MLB career, Yamamoto is undoubtedly one of the very best pitchers in the world. He should be viewed as LA’s primary frontline starter heading into the postseason—the ace on a staff full of aces.
Tarik Skubal and Blake Snell are fantastic pitchers, 2 of the best in the league in their own right, but Yamamoto has proven he is that guy. Yamamoto has come through in back-to-back World Series, getting every out needed when called upon.
All he has known since coming over to the United States is winning. Each of Yamamoto’s 2 seasons with the Dodgers has resulted in championships, and he was the ace of both rotations. He knows nothing about receiving praise for regular-season performances; he pitches for something much bigger than that.
Yamamoto’s 2.64 career ERA drops down to 2.25 in the playoffs. He holds a 7-1 postseason record, with 2 complete games and a World Series MVP. In 7 of his 10 appearances, he has given up 1 run or fewer. There is no other pitcher who should be more trusted in a Game 1 or Game 7 situation.
One unfortunate piece of news that came out of the night was Andy Pages leaving the game after being hit by a pitch in the hand/wrist area. The All-Star center fielder tried to stay in the game, but ended up exiting before X-rays revealed he had fractured his hand.
Pages is set to miss about 4 weeks, but should be back in the lineup when the postseason starts. The Dodgers could use this time to try out some of their high-level prospects, such as Josue De Paula, or turn to a rotation featuring Edman, Kike Hernandez, and Alex Call in center.
Benjamin Verbrugge is a reporter for News4usonline who studied journalism at CSU Dominguez Hills. “Sports have brought me much joy throughout my life, and I want to give a little back to something that has meant so much to me.” Email Benjamin at benverbrugge8@gmail.com.
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