Yamamoto helps Dodgers level World Series at 1-1
Yamamoto is the first man to pitch back-to-back complete games in MLB's postseason since Curt Schilling in 2001, having also gone the distance against the Milwaukee Brewers in the National League Championship Series last week
- Published
Pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto and catcher Will Smith starred as the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Toronto Blue Jays 5-1 to draw level at 1-1 in the best-of-seven World Series.
Japanese right-hander Yamamoto needed only 105 pitches to record his second successive complete game of the postseason.
Meanwhile, Smith led the Dodgers' offence with three runs batted in (RBI) as the Blue Jays had a night to forget.
In contrast to the free-scoring opener, game two was a pitching duel for long stretches at Toronto's Rogers Centre.
The Dodgers went ahead in the top of the first inning when Smith drove in Freddie Freeman, but were tied down after that by Blue Jays starting pitcher Kevin Gausman, who retired the next 17 Dodgers hitters he faced without allowing a baserunner.
Though the Canadian side drew level in the bottom of the third inning when Alejandro Kirk's sacrifice fly scored George Springer, the game remained deadlocked until the top of the seventh when Smith and Max Muncy both lifted Gausman over the left-field fence with solo home runs to give the 2024 champions a two-run cushion.
The Blue Jays fell apart in the top of the eighth as, with the bases loaded, the Dodgers scored on a wild pitch, before Smith recorded his third RBI of the evening to make it 5-1.
And while the Dodgers' bullpen had taken a beating in game one, Yamamoto was able to give his relievers a night off as he pitched all nine innings without any late scares.
The series now switches to Los Angeles for the next three games, with game three at Dodger Stadium on Monday evening.
World Series schedule, reports & results
Game 1: Blue Jays 11-4 Dodgers
Game 2: Blue Jays 1-5 Dodgers
Game 3 (in LA): Monday, 27 October
Game 4 (in LA): Tuesday, 28 October
Game 5 (in LA): Wednesday, 29 October
Game 6* (in Toronto): Friday, 31 October
Game 7* (in Toronto): Saturday, 1 November
*if required. Matches start 20:00 Eastern Time (early next morning UK time), Home team listed first
Will Smith (right), born and raised in Louisville, Kentucky, was a first-round draft pick in 2016 for the Dodgers, and has been their best batter in this World Series
After conceding a run in the top of the first inning, Blue Jays starting pitcher Kevin Gausman retired the next 17 batters he faced - but then took the loss after giving up two home runs in the seventh inning