Los Angeles Dodgers starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto made history with his stellar start against the Atlanta Braves in Game 3 of the NLDS. Yamamoto had a masterful performance, hurling seven innings of one-run baseball while striking out 10 batters as the Dodgers took a 2-1 lead in the series. This isn't anything new for Yamamoto, who lit the postseason on fire across six appearances in 2025.
The right-hander had a 1.45 ERA through 37.1 innings last October, striking out 33 batters and winning World Series MVP as the Dodgers secured back-to-back titles. In his last five postseason appearances, Yamamoto hasn't allowed more than one run or one walk in any of them, becoming the first pitcher in MLB history to do so. Additionally, all five of those appearances came on the road.
The third-year ace isn't only effective in the postseason, though, as his regular season numbers since his debut rank among the best in MLB. He has a 2.61 ERA through 76 regular season starts in MLB, striking out 488 batters through 448.2 innings pitched. Yamamoto made the All-Star Game in each of his last two seasons, and placed third in Cy Young voting in 2025.
He is also likely to receive votes for the award this season, though he likely won't win it. Yamamoto is one of the best starters in the game, but the Dodgers have plenty of players who can fulfill the Game 1 starter role. In addition to Yamamoto, who would be the No. 1 starter ion just about every other team in MLB, the Dodgers have two two-time Cy Young Winner in Blake Snell and Tarik Skubal who pitched each of the first two games.
As left-handers, Skubal and Snell matched up well into the Braves, who had just a 91 wRC+ against left-handers during the regular season. Using Yamamoto in Game 3 gave them a huge boost, as they're now just one win away from securing their spot in the NLCS against either the San Diego Padres or the Milwaukee Brewers. The Dodgers will look to take Wednesday's game against the Braves, which begins at 3:00 p.m.
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