Oct. 26 (UPI) — The Los Angeles Dodgers took a 2-0 game lead in World Series Saturday night at Dodger Stadium in California, topping the New York Yankees 4-2 on strong pitching by Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
The teams will head to Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, N.Y., with Los Angeles two wins away from the MLB world championship. Game 3 will be Monday night, to be broadcast on Fox.
The Dodgers broke the ice Saturday night with a 367-foot solo home run to left field by Tommy Edman off Carlos Rodon in the bottom of the second. But the Yankees tied the game at 1-1 in the top of the third with a 399-foot home run by Juan Soto off Yamamoto.
The Dodgers didn’t wait long to take the lead again, scoring three runs in the bottom of the third. Two runs came home on a 423-foot home run by Teoscar Hernandez into the right field stands and another on a 419-foot solo homer by Freddie Freeman to deep right center.
The Dodgers scored a second run in the ninth inning on a base hit by Giancarlo Stanton that sent Soto home. With one out, Jazz Chisolm Jr. singled and Anthony Rizzo was hit by a pitch, loading the bases. Anthony Volpe then struck out and pinch hitter Jose Trevino flied out, ending the game.
Yamamoto’s pitching in his World Series debut frustrated the Dodgers during his 6 1/3 innings. He allowed just one hit and retired the last 11 hitters he faced, his splitter becoming more devastating as the game progressed.
He was going strong when he was removed, as his pitch count that reached the mid-80s.
The Dodgers signed Yamamoto to a 12-year. $325 million contract on Dec. 27, 2023, paying $50.6 million to his Japanese team, the Orix Buffaloes.
The 26-year-old posted a 7-2 record, with a 3.0 earned-run average, during the regular MLB season. He missed about three months with a strained rotator cuff.
Los Angeles might have lost designated hitter Shohei Ohtani, who was hurt Saturday trying to steal second base in the bottom of the seventh. The 30-year-old superstar told Japanese TV after he was helped from that field that he popped his shoulder.
