The Los Angeles Dodgers won Game 2 of the World Series behind a sensational performance from Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
The ace threw a complete game (his second in-a-row), allowing just one earned run on four hits, and striking out eight Toronto Blue Jays batters while walking none. After his elite performance, and after taking the time to make sure his team’s dugout was spotless before heading into the clubhouse, utility star Kiké Hernández spoke on Yamamoto’s brilliance, and $325 million contract he earned ahead of the 2024 campaign.
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“You know you got the money that you got for a reason,” Hernández said. “It’s not because you project. They didn’t give you the money because of what they think they can do to your stuff. They gave you the money because of who you are.”
Hernández also touched on what he said to Yamamoto going into such a pivotal outing, an outing that would set the tone between going back to LA down 0-2 in the World Series, or tied at one game apiece.
“Trust that your s— is better than their s— even if that specific pitch is the best pitch that that guy hits,” Hernández said. “Trust that your best is not what he hits from other people. Your best can still overpower people and get people out.”
Yamamoto overpowered Toronto on Saturday night, and by throwing a consecutive complete game in the postseason, became the first pitcher since Curt Schilling in 2001 to do so, among other history made that night.
The relief that Yamamoto gave to a bullpen in need will hopefully pay off as the series goes on (barring Tyler Glasnow and Shohei Ohtani both pitching complete games of their own in Games 3 and 4). The story of the postseason so far has been elite starting pitching, porous bullpen performances, and rookie right-hander Roki Sasaki holding it down as the closer, but Yamamoto took matters into his own hand on Saturday and delivered once again.
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Photo Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images
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