Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s World Series Game 2 Win Was A Work Of Art

TORONTO — The fingers of Dodgers catcher Will Smith played upon nan keys of nan PitchCom instrumentality connected his correct knee for illustration those of a virtuoso pianist playing Johan Sebastian Bach. In and out, up and down, accelerated and slow, arsenic if weaving aggregate melodies wrong 1 work, Smith called 1 of nan astir beautiful World Series games ever composed because of really good nan maestro connected nan mound followed his lead. Dodgers righthander Yoshinobu Yamamoto sounded nan Brandenburg Concertos of nan World Series oeuvre.

It was classical euphony connected a shot field. Yamamoto threw 104 pitches astatine 19 different speeds pinch six different transportation types spaced isolated arsenic acold arsenic 24 mph. He didn’t conscionable hit nan hottest lineup of October; he besides made nan Toronto Blue Jays hitters look overmatched successful a 5–1 triumph Saturday that evened nan World Series astatine 1 throwback triumph apiece: an old-school contact-heavy win by Toronto successful Game 1 and this magnum opus by Yamamoto successful Game 2.

The World Series, now successful its 121st iteration, has seen only 8 different games sounded pinch this level of craftsmanship: a complete crippled triumph pinch nary walks and arsenic galore arsenic 8 strikeouts. The only different Dodger to rotation specified a gem was Sandy Koufax successful 1963 World Series Game 4. The different maestro composers were Madison Bumgarner successful 2014, Cliff Lee successful 2009, Phil Douglas successful 1921 and dormant shot era aces Rube Foster successful 1915, Smoky Joe Wood successful 1912, Eddie Plank successful 1911 and Deacon Phillippe successful 1903 successful nan first World Series crippled ever played.

Yamamoto has thrown back-to-back complete games (the first pitcher to do truthful since Curt Schilling 24 years ago) and this postseason is 3–1 pinch a 1.57 ERA pinch 4 walks contrasted against 26 strikeouts. He has been truthful bully he now influences this bid nan measurement Bumgarner did successful 2014, Orel Hershiser successful 1988, Bob Gibson successful 1967 and different aces of bygone eras whose adjacent commencement loomed for illustration nan Sword of Damocles for nan opponent. If location is simply a Game 6 backmost here, Yamamoto will get nan ball. Toronto had amended dream it is not an elimination game, which adds unit to nan adjacent 3 games starting Monday successful Los Angeles.

“He’s successful a very bully spot correct now and he feels very bully pinch everything that he is doing,” Dodgers pitching coach Mark Prior said. “That [process] has evolved complete nan year. It’s successful a really bully spot correct now and hopefully we’re going to request it 1 much … possibly 1 much time.”

The Blue Jays cooled disconnected successful a hurry because they could not perchance screen everything Yamamoto threw astatine them: six pitches, each pinch impeccable command, betwixt 74 and 98 mph. They could not norm retired immoderate transportation astatine immoderate time. Yamamoto utilized each six pitches to get his 27 outs: 10 of them via his curveball, six pinch splitters, 5 pinch four-seamers, 4 pinch cutters, 1 pinch a slider and, arsenic if showing off, 1 pinch a sinker not until his 26th out.

His crippled began double-single, putting runners connected nan corners pinch nary outs and Rogers Centre quaking pinch anticipation of different fast-break, Showtime Lakers benignant of night. Not truthful fast. Yamamoto leaned connected his curveball and splitter for 14 of his adjacent 17 pitches to get 2 strikeouts sandwiched astir a pop-up to time off nan runners correct wherever they stood.

 “You know, it’s funny,” said Galen Carr, Dodgers vice president of subordinate unit who made galore a travel to Japan to scout Yamamoto earlier they signed him to nan richest statement successful pitcher-only history, $325 cardinal complete 12 years. “Because successful Japan I deliberation we would watch him and he’d get himself into a business for illustration that early connected and past he’d conscionable make pitches. He's a pitchmaker. His expertise to operation and match, transportation to some sides of nan plate, alteration speeds, planes and angles … it’s really unique.”

Said Prior, “And from past on, he was successful beautiful overmuch power nan full time.  It’s really his affectional heartbeat, you know, nevertheless you want to say. It conscionable doesn’t look phased, fixed nan situation, fixed nan magnitude of these games, fixed what we were coming disconnected of past nighttime …”

Dodgers Game 1 starter Blake Snell did not person his A stuff, giving up a career-high 5 hits connected his changeup, spraying his fastball and moving excessively difficult to decorativeness disconnected hitters. The Blue Jays (who did not bat successful nan ninth successful their location win) fouled disconnected 39 pitches, nan astir complete 8 innings successful a World Series crippled since transportation search began successful 2008. Yamamoto had nary specified trouble. He had much whiffs (17) than foul balls allowed (16) while penning a medicine for nan Dodgers for nan remainder of nan series.

Yamamoto and Dodgers catcher Will Smith were successful complete sync Saturday night. / Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images

Yamamoto threw conscionable 28% fastballs (sinkers and four-seamers), nan lowest percent by nan Dodgers each year. The erstwhile debased was 32.4%, which happened successful NLCS Game 2—another complete crippled triumph by Yamamoto. You are apt to spot below-average fastball usage from Los Angeles’ adjacent 2 starters, Tyler Glasnow (56%) and Shohei Ohtani (46%).

“My pitching style is to conscionable support attacking nan zone,” Yamamoto said. “So, each transportation I throw, I attraction connected getting to nan onslaught zone. So, there’s not overmuch accommodation successful nan game.”

He threw an astounding 70% strikes (73 of 105), different marker of his exquisite craftsmanship.

“If anyone other has immoderate questions,” Carr said, “about why we gave this feline a statement that we did earlier he was pitching successful nan large leagues, I deliberation he’s astir apt answered those questions.”

This is nan bid that put “world” into “World Series.” With nan bid backmost successful Canada for nan first clip successful 32 years, Game 2 featured players successful nan starting lineup from Japan, Canada, Mexico, Venezuela, nan Dominican Republic and Cuba. The 5' 10" righthander from Japan proved connected nan biggest shape he is 1 of nan champion pitchers successful nan world.

“I deliberation by nan 3rd [inning],” Prior said, “he conscionable felt really bully to wherever he had them caught successful between. He could do what he wanted.”

It is an bonzer admittance by a pitching coach that his pitcher was truthful bully he could take pitches reasonably astatine his whim. Only 1 different of nan 175 starters who faced nan Blue Jays this twelvemonth rang up astatine slightest 8 strikeouts pinch nary walks against them: Zack Wheeler, who lasted only six innings successful that start, not finishing his ain commencement nan measurement Yamamoto did. 

After each half inning, Prior would beryllium down pinch Yamamoto and his expert connected nan dugout chair to reappraisal nan adjacent 3 aliases 4 hitters coming up nan adjacent inning for Toronto. Yamamoto besides would ace unfastened his achromatic diary notebook, successful which he has scribbled his ain scouting study and type pitching notes. Not erstwhile successful those discussions did Prior—or head Dave Roberts, for that matter—inquire of Yamamoto of his power level aliases remaining stamina, which is de rigueur successful today’s bullpen-heavy game, erstwhile “third clip around” is treated arsenic frighteningly arsenic nan 3rd obstruction of a subway line. No, it was plainly evident that Yamamoto was plentifulness strong, moreover a whopping 202 1/3 innings into his year.

The pitching coach and head had an easy telephone to support moving him backmost to nan mound. The crippled belonged to Yamamoto and now to history. Meanwhile, nan Sword of Damocles has been hung by its bladed thread, for Yamamoto earned not only a spot successful World Series lore, but besides until they whitethorn meet again wrong nan heads of Blue Jays hitters.

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