The Milwaukee Brewers have the reigning two-time American League Cy Young Award winner seeing ghosts, and the reigning World Series MVP scrambling for answers. They just dropped a 7-4 Game 2 win, pushing their series lead to a shocking 2-0 against the Dodgers in the National League Championship Series. Now, with the series shifting to Los Angeles, those defending champions are officially on the ropes.
Yamamoto’s October Nightmare
Look, we all know Yoshinobu Yamamoto. The dude’s built a reputation for absolutely dominating in October. Last year, he threw a complete game against these very Brewers in Game 2 of the NLCS. That kicked off a ridiculous run of five straight playoff appearances where he gave up just one run or less. But that streak? It got absolutely torched Monday at American Family Field. Things started getting weird with Jake Bauers, whose plate appearance against Yamamoto lasted an insane 7 minutes, 10 seconds. We’re talking 12 pitches, folks. Long enough for Alex Vesia to warm up and be ready in the Dodgers’ bullpen. Bauers just kept fouling off everything: three four-seamers, a curveball, a cutter, a splitter. Yamamoto threw the kitchen sink at him, hoping for a swing and miss. Didn’t happen. After a constant barrage of foul balls, Bauers finally took a curveball in the dirt for a walk, complete with a well-deserved bat flip. Those runners at first and second, they were on the move every full count and looked utterly exhausted. Yamamoto’s day ended at just 2 2/3 innings, his shortest postseason outing ever. It was also his shortest outing in *any* game since July 7, 2025, when he couldn’t even escape the first inning. That game? Also against the Brewers. And get this: he only got four swings and misses on 73 pitches, the first time he’s had fewer than five whiffs since that same July 2025 start. That’s not the Yamamoto we know.
Yelich Steps Up, Roberts Gambles
The Dodgers had a slim 2-1 lead after Bauers’ walk loaded the bases. Vesia was warming, sure, but they had their reigning World Series MVP still on the mound facing the left-handed Christian Yelich. Now, Yelich, the Brewers’ captain, wasn’t even in the lineup for Game 1 against lefty Tarik Skubal. Manager Pat Murphy said that move “might not happen again” despite their Game 1 success. He even praised Yelich, saying, “Everybody recognizes, here’s our MVP, here’s our guy that has done so much, and he stood there and was as good a teammate as you could ever believe. In retrospect, I’m happy it happened, but I don’t know that I’ll do it again.” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts kept Yamamoto in, and Yelich made him pay. He smashed a two-run single on a hanging curveball, giving the Brewers the lead and officially ending Yamamoto’s nightmare outing. Talk about a statement from your captain.
The series is now 2-0. The defending champs are reeling. They’ve got to regroup fast as they head back home. Game 3 is going to be absolutely wild, and the Dodgers are playing for their season. Can they stop the bleeding, or will the Brewers keep the hammer down? You gotta watch this.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Fox Sports.
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