MILWAUKEE -- When Dodgers right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto last pitched at American Family Field in the postseason, he walked off the mound on his own terms by tossing the first complete game of his career in Game 2 of the 2025 National League Championship Series.
Yamamoto got chased in a 36-pitch third inning to record the shortest postseason start of his career in a rematch with the Brewers on Monday in the Dodgers' 7-4 loss in Game 2 of the NLCS.
“I don't know the exact reason yet,” Yamamoto said via an interpreter. “I need to check the videos and then I can reflect on what happened today. I just wanted to get through the third inning, but I just ended up ... They made me walk out.”
With the Dodgers leading 2-1, Yamamoto allowed a sinking liner to the No. 9 batter David Hamilton to open the frame. After Kyle Tucker tracked down Jackson Chourio’s liner to the right-center gap, Hamilton stole second.
The complexion of the inning changed when Brice Turang, who homered off Tarik Skubal in Game 1, walked. On the sixth pitch of the plate appearance, Yamamoto’s cutter appeared to clip the outside corner for strike three but was called ball four. Yamamoto motioned for catcher Will Smith to ask for an ABS challenge, but he did not, so Turang reached.
Smith, who acknowledged postgame it was a strike upon review, said, “It actually cut back a little bit. I just saw it out and didn't know if it came back enough or not.”
Added Yamamoto: “I thought about it because they called it, but that was too fine a line on the strike zone. So I just didn't know.”
Following William Contreras’ flyout to center, Yamamoto threw a career-high 12 pitches in a battle with Jake Bauers, a plate appearance that included six straight fouls and a PitchCom issue. It resulted in a walk to load the bases.
“He's one of the best pitchers in the land,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said. “It was a great at-bat. I think [it was] a turning point, I really do.”
Brewers captain Christian Yelich, who didn’t play in Game 1, then sent Yamamoto’s hanging curveball to center for a two-run single to chase the 2025 World Series MVP and give Milwaukee a 3-2 lead.
At 75 pitches (46 strikes), this marked the most Yamamoto had thrown in the first three innings of a game since June 13, 2025 (76). It was just the fourth time in his MLB career with at least 75 through three frames.
“He wasn't as precise as he normally is,” Smith said. “I thought he competed. I thought they did a really good job not expanding out of the zone, taking advantage of the pitches we left middle. I expect him to bounce back and have another great start next time we see him.”
With the defeat, the Dodgers dropped to 9-2 in Yamamoto’s postseason starts and fell for the first time in his seven road games. The odds were in their favor entering Monday. Among pitchers with at least 10 postseason starts, Yamamoto ranked as follows all-time:
ERA: 2.24 (fifth)
WHIP: 0.83 (second)
BA: .175 (second)
SLG: .272 (second)
In the process, Milwaukee also snapped Yamamoto’s stretch of four consecutive postseason starts of six-plus innings and one or zero runs, which was two shy of Curt Schilling.
“Just didn't seem like he had total control of all the pitches that he wanted, and it was making it tough for him to mix it,” Max Muncy said. “Our job now is to win several games and give him another chance, because I know that next time out he's going to dominate it.”
The two-time reigning World Series champion Dodgers have their work cut out for them, returning home two losses away from elimination. They find themselves in this situation after losing road games started by two-time American League Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal and NL Cy Young candidate Yamamoto.
Two-time Cy Young winner Blake Snell and right-hander Tyler Glasnow are the projected Games 3 and 4 starters. Should they extend the series, Skubal and Yamamoto would line up for Games 5 and 6 on Friday in Los Angeles and Sunday in Milwaukee, respectively.
“It's certainly a challenge,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “I think that, if you look at Game 3, I like where we're at as far as in a vacuum, who's pitching, where our bullpen is at, being at home. Then you've got to go from there. But as far as can we do it? Absolutely, but it's just [that] you want to get that first one.”