TORONTO—Despite throwing 96 pitches on Oct. 31, Los Angeles Dodgers right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto informed his manager that he was ready to pitch in Game 7 of the World Series the following day.
“The atmosphere of the game can change by just showing that I am throwing in the bullpen,” Yamamoto said.
The Japanese star not only came out of the bullpen late in the deciding game, but he also sealed the Dodgers’ second consecutive championship and completed one of the most remarkable pitching performances in World Series history.
He threw up both hands and looked up with relief in the 11th inning when he realized it was all over and the Dodgers had won 5-4 over the Toronto Blue Jays.
His teammates mobbed him on the mound and the celebrations began.
After throwing 105 pitches in a complete Game 2 victory, Yamamoto was seen warming up in the bullpen when Game 3 extended into the 18th inning in Los Angeles.
He started Game 6 in Toronto, pitched six innings of one-run ball and recorded the win. After the game, he received medical treatment to prepare for another possible bullpen appearance.
In Game 7, he entered in the bottom of the 9th inning in a potential walk-off win situation for the Blue Jays.
Yamamoto hit Alejandro Kirk to load the bases, placing himself in an even more dire situation.
After the game, Yamamoto said he was trying to use as much of the strike zone as possible and not to throw a careless pitch.
Yamamoto silenced the Toronto fans by inducing a ground ball and fly ball to get out of the inning.
In the 11th inning, with the Dodgers up by one run and the Blue Jays with the tying run on third base, Yamamoto again faced Kirk. He got the catcher to hit into a double-play that ended the series.
Like his teammates who wanted to send off retiring pitcher Clayton Kershaw as a winner, Yamamoto did everything he could to ensure the Dodgers’ victory.
After the game, Yamamoto said Kershaw, a likely future hall-of-famer, gave him the biggest hug he had yet encountered from him.
Yamamoto won three games in the World Series and was named MVP.
“I have a huge sense of accomplishment because I did everything that I could,” he said.