Yankees deliver biggest punch to Yamamoto, his worst in majors yet

Follow Us

LOS ANGELES — The Dodgers had their brooms ready. Yoshinobu Yamamoto was on the mound. And the narrative was already writing itself — a clean sweep of the Yankees in a World Series rematch, capped off by their ace, who had dominated New York twice in the past year.

Then the Yankees flipped the script.

In a performance as stunning as it was satisfying, the New York Yankees battered Yamamoto for a season-high seven hits and four earned runs over just 3 2/3 innings in Sunday night’s 7-3 win at Dodger Stadium. The right-hander, who came into the game with a 1.97 ERA and a reputation for surgical precision, failed to complete five innings for the first time in 2025.

It was, without question, the worst start of Yamamoto’s Major League career — and it came just hours after Dodgers manager Dave Roberts declared him the team’s MVP of the season so far.

“I couldn’t really control my pitches from the beginning,” Yamamoto admitted through interpreter Yoshihiro Sonoda. “I tried to regroup, but I didn’t pitch well until the end. It’s very frustrating.”

Yankees transform Yamamoto from dominator to disrupted

Few pitchers had owned the Yankees quite like Yamamoto. In 2024, the Japanese star shut them down over seven scoreless innings in June, then followed it with a 6 1/3-inning, one-run gem in Game 2 of the World Series. On both occasions, he left New York’s lineup grasping at shadows.

But Sunday was different.

After Trent Grisham singled and Ben Rice walked in the first, Jasson Domínguez laced a line drive into left field. Andy Pages’ wild throw home allowed Grisham to score, putting the Yankees ahead early.

The Dodgers briefly tied the game in the second on Tommy Edman’s solo homer, but Yamamoto’s outing began to unravel in the third. After a leadoff walk to Aaron Judge, Rice smashed a two-run homer to center. Later in the inning, Yamamoto allowed two more hits and uncorked a wild pitch that brought Anthony Volpe home.

By the time Roberts emerged to pull him with two outs in the fourth, Yamamoto had thrown 96 pitches — his most inefficient outing in the Majors. His ERA jumped to 2.39.

“He wasn’t great today, wasn’t sharp with any of his pitches,” Roberts said postgame. “Really uncharacteristic.”

Yankees finally find life

Coming off an 18-2 embarrassment the night before, the Yankees entered the finale desperate for a response. They got it.

Ben Rice’s bat stayed hot with the home run and a key walk, while DJ LeMahieu tallied four hits — his best game since 2021. Domínguez chipped in with an RBI single. And most critically, the Yankees showed discipline at the plate, forcing Yamamoto into deep counts and capitalizing on his rare loss of command.

After scoring just two runs over the first 15 innings of the series, the Yankees posted seven on Sunday night.

“We wanted to finish the road trip strong,” LeMahieu said. “After Saturday’s loss, it showed a lot for us to come back like that.”

Yankees $2M Yarbrough outduels Dodgers’ $325M Yamamoto

While the Yankees hit Yamamoto harder than anyone has this year, it was Ryan Yarbrough who stole the show on the mound.

The 33-year-old left-hander, a Dodgers castoff who received his 2024 World Series ring quietly before Friday’s game, delivered a statement performance. He tossed six innings of one-run ball, allowing just four hits while striking out five.

Yarbrough, who now owns a 2.08 ERA in five starts since entering the Yankees’ rotation, completely shut down the top of the Dodgers’ order. Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman, Will Smith, and Teoscar Hernández went a combined 0-for-16 against the Yankees — a striking contrast to their explosive Saturday performance.

“He’s not going to light up the radar gun,” said LeMahieu, “but all his pitches feel like they get on you. He’s got good stuff. He knows what he’s doing out there.”

Dodgers’ missed opportunity

After two dominant wins to open the series, the Dodgers had a chance to sweep the Yankees for the first time since their Fall Classic triumph. Instead, they offered one of their sloppiest performances of the year — errors in the field, bad base running, and a lifeless lineup.

Andy Pages’ first-inning throwing error allowed a run to score. He was later caught stealing third before Edman’s homer — a mental mistake that likely cost Los Angeles another run.

“We just didn’t play clean baseball,” Roberts said. “Those mistakes add up.”

Max Muncy tried to remain optimistic. “You’ve got to focus on the positives,” he said. “We just took two of three from a really, really good team. But we definitely wanted the sweep.”

The loss dropped the Dodgers to 36-23 and just 13-13 over their last 26 games, raising concerns about consistency as summer approaches.

A series split that meant more

The Yankees leave Los Angeles with more than just a win. They earned some much-needed momentum, avoided a sweep, and quieted the narrative that the Dodgers have their number.

They also finally got to Yamamoto — a pitcher who had looked untouchable in past meetings — and showed that even the game’s brightest stars can stumble.

For Yamamoto, Sunday night was a rare step back. For the Yankees, it was a big step forward.

What do you think? Leave your comments below.

Follow Us