Yoshinobu Yamamoto tossed his first regular season complete game with the Dodgers on Sunday morning, absolutely dominating the New York Yankees in an 8-2 win. The Dodgers’ ace was in complete control, needing only 102 pitches to get through nine innings and ensuring his bullpen gets some serious rest for the nightcap of their split doubleheader.
Yamamoto’s Complete Game Masterpiece
Look, 102 pitches for a complete game against a lineup like the Yankees? That’s just next-level efficiency. Yamamoto retired a ridiculous 21 of 23 batters through the first seven frames. He only gave up a solo bomb to Trent Grisham in the fourth and a leadoff double to Ben Rice in the seventh, which Rice couldn’t even convert into a run. Yeah, a sun double in the eighth let another run in, but that doesn’t change how lights-out Yamamoto was. He finished with seven strikeouts and zero walks. This guy already had two complete games in the postseason last year, so we know he can go the distance, but getting his first regular season one? That’s big. It was the eighth time this season he’s lasted at least seven innings, and the third time he’s completed eight. He’s leading the majors, averaging a ridiculous 6.65 innings per start. That kind of arm saves bullpens and wins games.
Yankees’ Ace Gets Hammered
On the flip side, Yankees right-hander Cam Schlittler, who has been either the best or second-best pitcher in the American League this season with a 2.05 ERA, ran into a buzzsaw. The Dodgers hitters absolutely grinded him, making him throw 98 pitches in just 4 1/3 innings. That matches Schlittler’s shortest outing of the season, and you know that stings for a guy performing at his level. Shohei Ohtani blasted an RBI double and Freddie Freeman followed it up with a run-scoring single in the third. Then, in the fifth, Tommy Edman got plunked and Andy Pages immediately cashed in with an RBI double, chasing Schlittler from the mound.
The Dodgers Pour It On
After chasing Schlittler, the Dodgers didn’t let up. They piled on five more runs in the eighth inning off Jake Bird, with Tommy Edman delivering the knockout blow, a two-run double. Edman’s been on fire since coming off the injured list, hitting a sizzling .351/.429/.486 with a 157 wRC+ over 24 games. That’s a serious return to form and just shows how deep this Dodgers lineup is.
The split doubleheader isn’t over yet. The Dodgers are rolling into the night game with a bullpen plan, and it sounds like Landon Knack is going to play a big part in keeping this momentum going. You gotta love seeing a pitcher dominate like that, especially against a top AL team.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
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