TORONTO — Two days after throwing a complete game on 105 pitches, Yoshinobu Yamamoto pressed himself into duty for a Dodgers team that had exhausted its entire bullpen. The sight of him tossing in the bullpen was nearly as big a spectacle as Game 3 of the World Series itself, in its sixth hour and 18th inning — but Freddie Freeman ended the instant classic with a walk-off homer before Yamamoto was needed to pitch the 19th.
That game turned Will Klein into an October hero and cemented Freemanâ€s status as a clutch Fall Classic performer. But Yamamotoâ€s postseason legend only grew that night, despite ultimately not throwing a pitch in the contest.
The way Freeman tells it, Yamamoto was soft-tossing around 10-15 mph to feel things out. The coaches in the bullpen asked if he could go, and he replied that he could. Prompted to ramp up his warmup, Yamamotoâ€s next pitch clocked in at 97 mph, perfectly located.
“I think thatâ€s just all you need to know about Yoshinobu,†Freeman said. “He will do anything to win a baseball ballgame.â€
Not that the Dodgers needed any convincing that Yamamoto was the right man on the mound with their season on the line.
Yamamoto is tabbed to start Game 6 of the World Series on Friday at Rogers Centre, where he threw his second consecutive complete game last Saturday. Like then, heâ€ll take the mound looking to tie the Series, but the stakes are significantly higher given that the Blue Jays are one victory away from winning it all.
“It did give me a certain level of confidence,†Yamamoto said of going the distance again, through interpreter Yoshihiro Sonoda. “But now my mind is reset and then just focusing on the new game.â€
Two seasons into a 12-year deal, the baseball world has grown to understand why the Dodgers gave Yamamoto $325 million — a record for guaranteed dollars for a pitcher — before he had thrown a Major League pitch.
He tends to stand tallest in the biggest moments, rather than allow himself to bend under pressure.
“Itâ€s something that weâ€ve always seen,†pitching coach Mark Prior said. “I think a lot of that now, what youâ€re seeing, is a guy whoâ€s been around the league, heâ€s played every team, heâ€s pitched almost against every team. … I think all that just breeds more and more confidence in him.â€
Yamamoto has turned back the clock of late, going the distance in back-to-back postseason starts for the first time in 24 years. He now has a chance to join a particularly exclusive club of pitchers with three consecutive complete games in the postseason. Only three have done it in a single postseason in the past 55 years: Curt Schilling (2001), Orel Hershiser (1988) and Luis Tiant (1975).
It is already rare to get one complete game, let alone two, in this era of baseball. Yamamotoâ€s NLCS gem against the Brewers was the first in the postseason since Justin Verlander in 2017, and the one against the Blue Jays was the first in the World Series since Johnny Cueto in 2015.
Three in a row would truly be uncharted territory in this day and age.
Very rarely in baseball does one player singlehandedly win a game, which can be a blessing and a curse. As much as Yamamoto would like to finish what he started for a third time, a beleaguered offense and bullpen will have to step up behind him.
“I expect Yamamoto to throw well,” manager Dave Roberts said. “But we still got to take good at-bats and catch the baseball, convert outs. And if we play a good clean game, I feel good about our chances.”
After Game 3, once Freeman and Klein had been properly fêted for their heroics, several Dodgers ran over to celebrate with Yamamoto — among them Shohei Ohtani, Roki Sasaki and Roberts. Later on, his teammates couldnâ€t say enough about his willingness to put his body on the line.
“Thatâ€s unbelievable,†Clayton Kershaw said that night. “He just threw a complete game two days ago. Cross-country travel. Get in at four in the morning. One day of rest basically. … Sometimes, thatâ€s what you need to win World Series.â€
For a Dodgers team that can no longer afford to lose, matching that grit could just be the key to keeping their season alive.
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