The Los Angeles Dodgers are in shock. They’ve dropped the first two games of the NLCS to the Milwaukee Brewers, blowing leads in both. Monday’s loss, especially after ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto was pulled early, really hit hard.
Yamamoto’s Nightmare in the Third
What a rough night for Yoshinobu Yamamoto, man. His night was over in the third inning after giving up the lead and hitting a high pitch count. Manager Dave Roberts pulled him, saying he “felt we had to stop the damage right there.” Yamamoto’s stat line was brutal: just 2.2 innings pitched, four hits, three earned runs given up, and only one strikeout. That was his shortest outing all season, and you know that’s gonna be a huge talking point until his next start.
The Non-Challenge That Made Roberts Fume
But the real kicker came in the third. Catcher Will Smith had a chance to challenge a ball call that would’ve been strike three and ended the inning, just like that. But he didn’t. The Brewers went on to have a huge inning right after that non-challenge. After the game, Roberts didn’t pull any punches. He flat out said, “I didn’t appreciate that. Will’s got a great view of that, you try to defer to your catchers for challenges. If you look back, that changes the outing.” You gotta wonder what was going through Smith’s head. The Dodgers have been playing it safe with ABS challenges, kinda burned themselves early in the playoffs by wasting them. But in *that* moment? Roberts clearly thinks the risk was worth it.
So yeah, Roberts is gonna review this whole thing with Smith. His comments make it clear he believes that challenge could’ve totally changed Yamamoto’s outing and prevented all that damage. The Dodgers are in a tough spot now, and every decision is under the microscope.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by The Sporting News.
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