The Los Angeles were treated to a complete game performance from Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who will be remembered as a World Series legend for years to come.
The Ace allowed just four hits, eight hits, and no walks as he marched toward a series tie with the defending champions. Opposing players also had to praise Yamamoto after the game, especially Toronto Blue Jays slugger George Springer.
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“(Yamamoto) mixed it up, six or seven pitches or five or six pitches, whatever it was. He showed why he is the way he is,” Springer said, via Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. “You can’t point the finger or try to do anything. This is one of those situations where a very elite guy had a great game.”
The had high hopes for him as an elite pitcher when they offered him a $325 million contract ahead of the 2024 season despite never having pitched in MLB, but vice president of player personnel Galen Carr spoke after the game about how unimaginable Yamamoto’s pitch was on Saturday.
“I don’t think anyone would have the courage to imagine a game like this,” Kerr said. “In some ways, it’s gone too far.
“We really believed in his ability to pitch at the major league level, and we believed in his stuff, and that was reflected in the contract we gave him. I wouldn’t say he exceeded expectations. I think he proved himself. If there’s anyone who had questions about why we gave this player the same contract he had before he pitched in the major leagues, I think he’s probably answered those questions by now.”
Yamamoto did everything the team needed him to do this October, starting four games and pitching 28.2 innings with a 1.57 ERA.
In Game 3 of the NLDS, he pitched just four innings, giving up six hits and three earned runs, but he responded with back-to-back complete games in probably the final two games of the season. He leaves his team three wins away from advancing to the World Series and returns to Los Angeles.
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Photo credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images
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