Orioles 4, Dodgers 3: Yoshinobu Yamamoto twirls 8.2 no-hit innings, but pen gives up 3 runs to get walked off as season hits a new low

Chad Moriyama 09/06/2025 Game Recaps Leave A Comment

After losing four in a row and six of their last seven, the Dodgers ace was on the mound looking to put a stop to things. Thankfully, Yoshinobu Yamamoto was up to the task at his end, twirling 8.2 dominant no-hit innings before giving up a solo homer to Jackson Holliday to end that bid. The offense did manage to scrape across some runs to give him a lead, but the lack of insurance would eventually cost them, as the pen absolutely melted down. Needing just one out to end the game and provide something to build on, they gave up three runs instead to get walked off by the Orioles, 4-3.

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Let’s start with the offense to delay some misery.

Things didn’t start great as Shohei Ohtani led off with a single but was erased by a double play, so the minimum went to the plate in the 1st. After a quiet 2nd, the slugger Miguel Rojas led the 3rd off by ripping a double down the line in left. Enrique Hernandez followed with a walk, and Ben Rortvedt successfully sacrificed to move them over. Ohtani then came up and grounded out, but it scored a run before Mookie Betts grounded out to end the rally. 1-0.

The 4th resumed the offensive frustration, as a one-out Freddie Freeman triple off the wall in right was stranded. Thankfully, the 5th started with Rojas again, and he doubled again. Enrique followed with a single to corner the runners, and Rortvedt again sacrificed to put a pair on. Unfortunately, Shohei went to a contact approach and was chasing everything to strikeout, but the Dodgers got a break when a Mookie liner went off Gunnar Henderson‘s glove for a single and a run. That made it 2-0 even though Teoscar Hernandez ended things there.

In the 6th, back-to-back singles from Freeman and Alex Call went for nothing, but they got more in the 7th. Rortvedt started with a single, and with one down Mookie hit a triple past a diving outfielder to make it 3-0.

But they again got nothing more, as a Teoscar groundout, an intentional walk to Freddie (and stolen base), and a lineout from Call ended the threat.

The offense didn’t manage further insurance in the 8th and 9th, which they could’ve used in retrospect.

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On the mound was the man of the game, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who was mostly dominant throughout. In the first two frames, it was six up and six down for him with a pair of strikeouts. But the 3rd looked like potential disaster brewing, as he got ahead of the lead-off man 0-2 before issuing a walk, then a wild pitch followed, and another walk put a pair on. However, Yamamoto got a strikeout and a double play to end that threat with minimal trouble.

He resumed dominance in the 4th, getting a clean frame with a strikeout, then striking out a pair in a 1-2-3 inning in the 5th. He followed by getting a strikeout each in the 6th and 7th as well without surrendering a runner, and did the same in the 8th as well to make it 17 in a row retired.

And so, Yamamoto took a no-no into the 9th inning, and Dave Roberts would give him a chance to do so. After getting a three-pitch strikeout and a flyout on the first pitch for the second out, he hung a 2-1 cutter to Jackson Holliday, who hit it out to right. No-no gone, shutout gone. 3-1.

Unfortunate way to end his outing, but he truly did everything he could: 8.2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 10 K, 112 Pitches.

For a normal team, this is no big deal, of course. Just get the final out before giving up two or three runs. Simple.

Well, Blake Treinen took over needing to get one out, but he immediately gave up a double to bring the tying run to the plate, hit a batter on a 1-2 count, uncorked a wild pitch to put both into scoring position, then gave up back-to-back walks to force a run in and make it 3-2.

Tanner Scott then entered after yesterday’s walk-off, got into a 1-1 count, and gave up a single to plate two and get walked off again.

I dunno, man.

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NL Playoff SeedingRecordGB
Brewers88-55–
Phillies83-594.5
Dodgers78-649.5
NL WestRecordGB
Dodgers78-64–
Padres76-65*1.5

The series concludes tomorrow on SNLA at a time that means I might as well not sleep, which is 7:35 AM HT/10:35 AM PT/1:35 PM ET. It’ll be Clayton Kershaw on the mound looking to start better than last time against Tomoyuki Sugano.

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