Dodgers 8, Reds 4 – 2025 NLWCS Game 2: Yoshinobu Yamamoto delivers despite his defense, Mookie Betts leads offense with 3 doubles, NLDS here come the Dodgers

Chad Moriyama 10/01/2025 Game Recaps Leave A Comment

After taking the key first game of the three-game NLWCS, the Dodgers were back at it again tonight against the Reds, looking to secure their spot in the NLDS. The pitching matchup between Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Zack Littell was a mismatch on paper, but an early error put the Reds up.

Fortunately, the Dodgers offense is clicking right now, and they quickly fought back to take the lead in the middle innings before seemingly blowing the game open late. However, once again, the pen made things interesting before Roki Sasaki emphatically slammed the door shut on an 8-4 win.

NLDS time.

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As mentioned, for the Dodgers it was Yoshinobu Yamamoto on the bump, and things started with a surprisingly eventful 1st. To start, Enrique Hernandez made a great over-the-shoulder catch to save extra bases.

That would end up saving a run, as Yamamoto hit the next batter, got a groundout, and then Teoscar Hernandez dropped a routine flyball to right for a two-base error that put a pair in scoring position.

Absolute disaster.

That costed Yamamoto two runs and 12 pitches when Sal Stewart poked the sixth pitch he saw to right for a two-run single.

He then stole second, and Yamamoto took six pitches to end the inning with a strikeout. 2-0, Reds.

Despite the two unearned runs, he locked in nicely after that and started a run of four perfect innings. He struck out two in a clean 2nd, got another in the 3rd, managed a quick eight-pitch 4th, and struck out two more on just 11 pitches in the 5th.

The potentially series-defining inning came in the 6th, as a lead-off single was lined just past a diving Miguel Rojas, another single followed on an 0-2 pitch that caught more of the plate, and old friend Gavin Lux Baltimore-chopped an infield single to load things up with nobody out. Yamamoto responded by getting a soft liner that fell in front of Mookie for an out at home, and then two gigantic strikeouts to keep a zero on the board.

Dave Roberts understandably let Yamamoto come out for the 7th as well, probably due to the lack of trust in the pen. He got the first out, issued a walk after getting ahead 0-2, notched a strikeout, and then issued another walk after getting ahead 1-2 to put two on.

That was the end of his night, and he likely gets seven shutout without the error, scattering just four singles and issuing just the two late walks: 6.2 IP, 4 H, 2 R (0 ER), 2 BB, 9 K, 113 Pitches.

Dave called on Blake Treinen to get the final out, and he kept earned runs off Yamamoto’s ledger by getting a groundout to end the 7th.

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On the other end, by the time Zack Littell took the mound, he was already pitching with a lead, and while he gave up a one-out double to Mookie Betts, he got the next two to post a zero in the 1st. After he started the 2nd by getting Max Muncy to lineout to left, he hit Andy Pages but followed with a groundout that only advanced him to second. Rojas followed by lining a ball very hard but right to short for the out.

The 3rd started the scoring for the Dodgers behind an unlikely source, as Ben Rortvedt led off with a double down the left-field line. Shohei Ohtani then grounded out to the right side to advance him to third, and Mookie cashed it in with a single to cut the deficit to 2-1. A groundout then got Mookie to second, but again he was stranded there to end the 3rd.

The bats continued their momentum in the 4th, as Muncy singled just past a diving second baseman, and after a strikeout it was Enrique ripping a double to right-center to plate Muncy and tie things up at 2-2.

Rojas then followed by blooping a single down the line in right for the lead at 3-2.

Rortvedt then followed with another sac bunt attempt, but he ended up reaching with an infield single to put a pair on. Unfortunately, the big guys both flew out to end that threat.

The 6th is where the blew the game open, coming immediately after Yamamoto did his Houdini act. An Enrique infield roller off the bag went for a single, and a groundout advanced him to second. Rortvedt then grounded a ball to first, but Stewart threw behind Nick Martinez for an error to corner the runners. Shohei then got behind 0-2, but worked the count back to even before singling to right to make it 4-2. Another Mookie double followed to plate another run, and after Freddie was intentionally walked to load things up, Teoscar singled to plate a pair and push the lead to 7-2.

The Reds then intentionally walked Muncy to reload the bases, but a Pages flyout and an Enrique pop-out stranded that chance as well.

Yet the Dodgers continued to add on in the 7th, as Rojas started off with an infield single, Rortvedt sac bunted, Ohtani was intentionally passed, and Mookie came up with his fourth hit and third double to make it 8-2.

In what turned out to be two big outs, Chase Burns came in and got the next two batters to groundout to keep the score there. He also got the side in order in the 8th to close the book on the Dodgers.

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Why was that big? Because the pen continued to be the pen.

Emmet Sheehan has been great all year in the rotation, but today he started by giving up a single that Enrique let get to second on an error, followed by issuing a walk, and gave up a Stewart single to drive in a run, uncorked another wild pitch, then issued another walk to load the bases at 8-3.

Tyler Stephenson then hit a flyball for a sac fly to make it 8-4, but they did get an out at least.

After Sheehan got ahead 1-2 to Will Benson, he uncorked a wild change, and Dave made an unconventional mid at-bat change to Alex Vesia.

Terry Francona countered with Miguel Andujar, who struck out on the first pitch. Vesia then walked the bases loaded to bring the tying run to the plate, but he got a 3-2 strikeout to end the inning.

Huge, huge, huge.

The most impressive relief outing of the series belonged to Roki Sasaki, who was tasked with not blowing a four-run lead in the 9th. He didn’t even get close, as he looked like a new man, attacking the zone with 100 MPH and dropping vicious splitters to strikeout the first two batters.

Rortvedt then dropped a pop foul, but no matter, Roki got a soft liner to Mookie at short to end the game and advance the team to the NLDS.

Let’s go, man.

Celebration post to follow, maybe?

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After sweeping the NLWCS, the Dodgers now flyout to Philadelphia for a five-game series against the Phillies in the NLDS. No final time yet, but Game 1 will be on October 4th, and it’ll likely be Shohei Ohtani against Cristopher Sanchez.

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