The reigning World Series MVP couldn’t escape the third inning in Game 2 of the National League Championship Series, getting just eight outs and tossing 75 pitches against a pesky Milwaukee Brewers lineup.
Brewers captain Christian Yelich chased the Los Angeles Dodgers starter with a go-ahead two-RBI single, a base hit that came on the heels of a 12-pitch walk by Jake Bauers.
Yamamoto finished his outing with three earned runs, four hits, two walks and just one strikeout on his line.
The Brewers particularly made the 28-year-old work with two strikes. Yamamoto tossed 32 two-strike pitches in the game — nine of which Milwaukee fouled off.
Monday marked the shortest playoff start of Yamamoto’s MLB career in the 11 times he has taken the ball to open a post-season game. He entered the outing with a career 2.14 ERA in 63 October innings.
Yamamoto was excellent in the Dodgers’ Game 3 win over the Atlanta Braves in the NLDS, punching out 10 over seven frames of one-run ball.
Monday was also the first start of 2026 that the Japanese right-hander didn’t complete at least five innings. In the regular season, Yamamoto pitched to a 2.53 ERA over 28 starts and 185 innings of work.