Dodgers 5, Blue Jays 1 – World Series Game 2: Yoshinobu Yamamoto puts the Dodgers on his back in a complete game win to tie things up

Chad Moriyama 10/25/2025 Game Recaps Leave A Comment

After Game 1 resulted in a blowout loss, Game 2 wasn’t necessarily a must-win for the Dodgers, but certainly the odds would be massively stacked against them if they dropped the first two of the World Series.

Thankfully, the Dodgers had Yoshinobu Yamamoto going, and he skipped the bullpen for the second game in a row with a complete game effort that limited the Blue Jays to one run and ended with 20 in a row retired. Just utter domination.

The Dodgers were struggling offensively for a good while, but late homers by Will Smith and Max Muncy — plus some good fortune for insurance — led to a 5-1 victory.

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On the mound for the Blue Jays was Kevin Gausman, who has been their ace for years now and has also served as a playoff ace for them so far this year.

Things started better for the offense, as after two deep flyouts to the corners, Freddie Freeman hooked a double down the line and Will Smith followed with a single to plate the run and make it 1-0.

Unfortunately, Teoscar Hernandez struck out to end the 1st, and that started a string of 16 in a row retired through the 6th. Rather than the split, the fastball was killing them, as they were late on it and frequently took it to get behind in the count.

Fastball just absolutely eating them alive. Bleak.

— Chad Moriyama (@chadmoriyama.bsky.social) October 25, 2025 at 3:14 PM

Pathetic to that point, and he was steamrolling this lineup.

Nothing much to report.

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Trying to lead a pitching staff bounceback for the Dodgers was Yoshinobu Yamamoto, another one of their ace-level pitchers and another one trying to build off a strong NLCS start.

Things started with immediate stress, as he left an 0-2 fastball over the heart of the plate and George Springer ripped it for a double. Nathan Lukes followed by blooping a single over short to corner the runners and it was trouble early. Fortunately, Yamamoto rebounded by getting a strikeout of Vladimir Guerrero Jr., got Alejandro Kirk to poke a lineout to Freddie, and also struck out Daulton Varsho to keep the zero intact. Like yesterday, though, the damage was 23 pitches.

The 2nd started with another baserunner, though this time Ernie Clement was given a “single” on Freddie overrunning the ball in embarrassing fashion.

Fortunately, he worked around that, taking only nine more pitches to get the next three outs in order — thanks in part to a nice play by Mookie Betts.

Another inning, another lead-off baserunner, as Yamamoto started the 3rd by hitting Springer with a fastball.

After a strikeout, Vlad did his thing and crushed a ball down the line in left that bounced off the wall and limited him to a single that cornered the runners. This time, Kirk took advantage of the chance, hitting a sac fly to center to tie the game at 1-1.

He then got Varsho to groundout to end the 3rd before 1-2-3 frame in the 4th on just six pitches and then another clean frame in the 5th on just eight pitches. He made it 11 in a row retired in the 6th with another quick inning on just 11 pitches.

Just could not get any run support to that point.

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Fortunately, things changed in the 7th. Gausman ran his consecutive batters retired streak up to 17 to start, but then he missed across the plate on a 3-2 fastball to Will, who pulled his T-Rex arms in and drilled a ball down the line in left for a homer and a 2-1 lead.

After Gausman got the second out, Muncy stepped up and smoked a fastball oppo that snuck out to left to double the lead at 3-1.

That was the end of his night, as Louis Varland entered and got the final out of the 7th. Varland continued in the 8th and got into trouble with one down, giving up a single up the middle to Andy Pages and then another to Shohei Ohtani to put a pair on. He then issued a 3-2 walk to Mookie and didn’t look sharp, and he was removed with the bases loaded.

Jeff Hoffman entered for a big spot against Freddie, and he uncorked a wild pitch to score Pages and advance everybody on the first pitch. (It actually hit him on the foot but this umpire sucks and missed that as well.)

No harm, no foul on that call as Freddie was intentionally walked, and Will followed by grounding to short. With the fielders in, Ohtani scored to make it 5-1, though Teoscar struck out and couldn’t add on further.

In the 9th, Braydon Fisher issued a lead-off walk to Muncy, but he then retired the next three to close the book on the Dodger bats.

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Anyway, now with a lead, Yamamoto continued in the 7th himself, getting another clean frame on just eight pitches, including the pinch-hitting Bo Bichette for Isiah Kiner-Falefa. He then did even better in the 8th, striking out the side on 14 pitches to make it 17 in a row.

All he did in the 9th was take any doubt out of it, finishing with a clean frame and 20 in a row retired.

Just absolute domination.

Didn't want to jinx it during the game, but for all the hype about the splitter, once he figured they had no answer for his breaking stuff, it was over. Just carving them.

— Chad Moriyama (@chadmoriyama.bsky.social) October 25, 2025 at 4:59 PM

I am pleased: 9 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 8 K, 105 Pitches.

Enjoy the win, but time for the bats to wake the fuck up.

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And so, the World Series is 1-1 going back to Los Angeles.

The two teams will now have a day off to travel, as they head to Los Angeles for Game 3 at 2:00 PM HT/5:00 PM PT/8:00 PM ET on FOX. It’ll be Tyler Glasnow on the bump looking to continue a great postseason of his own against future Hall Of Famer Max Scherzer.

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