By Frank Pingue
TORONTO (Reuters) -Japanese ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto flipped the World Series script in favor of the reigning champion Los Angeles Dodgers, who are headed home for three games and flying high after a 5-1 win over the Toronto Blue Jays on Saturday.
Yamamoto was spectacular while pitching a complete game, striking out eight batters and walking none, while Will Smith drove in three runs, including a solo home run in the seventh inning that put the Dodgers ahead for good.
“Yeah, he was just locked in tonight,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said of Yamamoto. “It was one of those things he said before the series, losing is not an option, and he had that look tonight.”
The win leveled the best-of-seven series at 1-1 and put the star-studded Dodgers back on track in their bid to become Major League Baseball’s first repeat champion in 25 years.
BAFFLED HITTERS
A day after a humbling 11-4 defeat that exposed the thinness of the Dodgers’ bullpen and may have allowed some doubt to creep into the Dodgers clubhouse, the team turned the ball over to their ace in hopes he could right the ship.
Making his first start since pitching a complete-game gem in the National League Championship Series, Yamamoto again went the distance and left Blue Jays hitters baffled one day after they seemingly were hitting pitches at will.
“Going into the game, the pregame bullpen, I was feeling really good with the splitter,” Yamamoto said about his signature pitch.
“I’m very happy and proud of the fact that I was able to bring a big contribution and give a chance for the team to win.”
FAST START
The Dodgers made a fast start as Freddie Freeman hit a two-out double in the first inning before Smith singled to put the visitors ahead 1-0.
Toronto threatened in the bottom half of the inning, getting runners on first and third with no outs, but Yamamoto retired the next three batters to get out of the jam and never looked back.
Yamamoto was so dominant that he retired the final 20 batters he faced on the night, a remarkable run that started when he got Alejandro Kirk out on a sacrifice fly that scored George Springer in the third.
“He made it hard for us to make him work,” Blue Jays manager John Schneider said of Yamamoto’s performance. “He was in the zone, split was in and out of the zone. It was a really good performance by him.”
‘PITCHERS’ DUEL’
The Dodgers, who also had their hands full with Toronto starter Kevin Gausman, broke through in the seventh when Smith homered into the second deck in left field before Max Muncy’s solo shot two batters later.
Los Angeles added two more runs in the eighth on a wild pitch before Smith grounded into a fielder’s choice that scored Shohei Ohtani.
Gausman, who prior to Smith’s homer had retired 17 Dodgers batters in a row, took the loss after allowing three runs and striking out six batters in 6-2/3 innings.
“I thought Kev matched (Yamamoto) pitch for pitch, really,” said Blue Jays manager John Schneider. “They both had low pitch counts. It was kind of a classic pitchers’ duel and they made a couple more swings.”
Game Three is on Monday.
(Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto; Editing by Tom Hogue)
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