{"id":34553,"date":"2025-11-02T12:21:13","date_gmt":"2025-11-02T12:21:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/34553\/"},"modified":"2025-11-02T12:21:13","modified_gmt":"2025-11-02T12:21:13","slug":"how-yoshinobu-yamamoto-made-the-2025-world-series-his-greatest-moment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/34553\/","title":{"rendered":"How Yoshinobu Yamamoto made the 2025 World Series his greatest moment"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

TORONTO\u00a0\u2014\u00a0Shortly after the Dodgers<\/a> won Game 6 of the World Series<\/a>, Yoshinobu Yamamoto<\/a> approached his longtime personal trainer.<\/p>\n

Lowering his head, Yamamoto said to Osamu Yada, \u201cThank you for everything this year.\u201d<\/p>\n

Yamamoto figured his season was over. He\u2019d thrown 96 pitches over six innings, and he half-joked in the postgame news conference<\/a> that he wanted to cheer on his team rather than pitch again the next day. Manager Dave Roberts<\/a> had the same thought, saying Yamamoto would be the only pitcher unavailable in Game 7.<\/p>\n

The trainer had other ideas.<\/p>\n

\u201cLet\u2019s see if you can throw in the bullpen tomorrow,\u201d Yada said.<\/p>\n

By just being in the bullpen, Yada said, Yamamoto could provide the Dodgers a psychological edge over the Toronto Blue Jays.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s how I got tricked,\u201d Yamamoto said in Japanese with a laugh.<\/p>\n

Yada\u2019s guiding hand transformed Yamamoto into a legend on Saturday night.<\/p>\n

Pitching the final 2 \u2154 innings of an 11-inning, championship-clinching 5-4 victory<\/a> over the Toronto Blue Jays<\/a>, Yamamoto won his third game of the World Series<\/a>.<\/p>\n

When he forced Alejando Kirk to ground into a game-ending double play, Yamamoto removed his cap and raised his arms toward the heavens. Catcher Will Smith<\/a> rushed the mound and picked him up from the waist.<\/p>\n

\u201cI felt a joy I never felt before,\u201d Yamamoto said.<\/p>\n

\"Dodgers <\/p>\n

Dodgers catcher Will Smith picks up Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto after the final out of a 5-4 win in 11 innings over the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 7 of the World Series on Saturday.<\/p>\n

(Gina Ferazzi \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n

Yamamoto pitched a complete game in Game 2<\/a>. He pitched six more in Game 6. His contributions in Game 7 increased his series total to 17 \u2154 innings, over which he allowed only two runs.<\/p>\n

The throwback performance earned him the series\u2019 most valuable player award, as well as universal admiration.<\/p>\n

\u201cI really think he\u2019s the No. 1 pitcher in the world,\u201d Shohei Ohtani<\/a> said in Japanese. \u201cEveryone on the team thinks that, too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Freddie Freeman<\/a> marveled at the workload shouldered by the 5-foot-10 Yamamoto, who was sidelined for three months last year with shoulder problems<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cI mean, he pitched last night, started,\u201d Freeman said. \u201cHe threw the most innings out of our pitchers tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n

Freeman pointed out that in addition to pitching in three games, Yamamoto also warmed up to pitch in a fourth. Two days after his complete game in Game 2, he prepared in the bullpen to pitch a potential 19th inning in Game 3. The Dodgers won that game in the 18th inning.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve never seen anything like that,\u201d Freeman said.<\/p>\n

President of baseball operations Andrew Friedman<\/a> said of Yamamoto\u2019s Game 7 performance, \u201cFor him to have the same stuff that he had the night before is really the greatest accomplishment I\u2019ve ever seen on a major league baseball field.\u201d<\/p>\n

Did Friedman think any other pitcher could have done what Yamamoto did in this series?<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, I don\u2019t,\u201d Friedman said. \u201cIn fact, yesterday morning I didn\u2019t necessarily think Yama could either.\u201d<\/p>\n

Friedman said he didn\u2019t think much of it when he was notified after Game 6 that Yamamoto was receiving treatment from Yada at the team hotel with the intention of perhaps pitching in Game 7. Friedman was told the next morning that Yamamoto received another round of treatment.<\/p>\n

The possibility of Yamamoto pitching in Game 7 became real to Friedman after he performed his trademark javelin-throwing routine and played catch at Rogers Centre. Yamamoto still wasn\u2019t convinced.<\/p>\n

\"Dodgers <\/p>\n

Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto, left, celebrates with Shohei Ohtani and teammates after a 5-4 win over the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 7 of the World Series at Rogers Centre on Saturday.<\/p>\n

(Robert Gauthier \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t think I would pitch,\u201d Yamamoto said. \u201cBut I felt good when I practiced, and the next thing I knew, I was on the mound (in the game).\u201d<\/p>\n

Yamamoto\u2019s interpreter, Yoshihiro Sonoda<\/a>, was prepared.<\/p>\n

The superstitious Sonoda wears the same pair of lucky underwear on days Yamamoto pitches. He wore the rabbit-themed boxers<\/a> for Game 6. Sensing Yamamoto might pitch again, Sonoda wore the same boxers for Game 7.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust in case,\u201d Sonoda admitted, \u201cI didn\u2019t wash them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Yamamoto had never pitched on consecutive days as a professional, in either the United States or Japan. When was called on to relieve Blake Snell<\/a> in the ninth inning, he was uncertain of how he would perform.<\/p>\n

Inheriting two baserunners from Snell with one out, Yamamoto loaded the bases by plunking Kirk. He forced Dalton Varsho to ground into a force out at home, only to throw a curveball to Ernie Clement that was driven to the wall in left field. Defensive replacement Andy Pages crashed into Kik\u00e9 Hern\u00e1ndez on the warning track but held on to the ball, preventing the Blue Jays from scoring the walk-off run.<\/p>\n

Yamamoto pitched a 1-2-3 10th inning and went into the bottom of the 11th with a 5-4 lead, courtesy of a homer by Smith in the top of the inning.<\/p>\n

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. started the inning by pulling a 96.9-mph fastball for a double and advanced to third base on a sacrifice bunt by Isiah Kiner-Falefa. Yamamoto walked Addison Barger to place runners on the corners, setting up the game-ending double play by Kirk.<\/p>\n

\u201cI really couldn\u2019t believe it,\u201d Yamamoto said. \u201cI was so excited I couldn\u2019t even recall what kind of pitch I threw at the end. When my teammates ran to me, I felt the greatest joy I\u2019ve felt up to this point.\u201d<\/p>\n

Clayton Kershaw<\/a>, whom Yamamoto wanted to send into retirement with another championship, embraced him harder than he\u2019d ever embraced him. Roberts swallowed him an embrace.<\/p>\n

Yamamoto was moved to tears.<\/p>\n

Overwhelmed by the moment, Yamamoto didn\u2019t sound as if he grasped the magnitude of what he\u2019d just done. In time, he will.<\/p>\n

On the night the Dodgers solidified their dynasty, Yamamoto made this World Series his.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"TORONTO\u00a0\u2014\u00a0Shortly after the Dodgers won Game 6 of the World Series, Yoshinobu Yamamoto approached his longtime personal trainer.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":34554,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[24761,426,4203,4259,423,4468,48,52,51,47,50,49,24762,24759,21949,24760,427,57,4470,18490,429],"class_list":["post-34553","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-los-angeles","tag-alejando-kirk","tag-dodgers","tag-freddie-freeman","tag-friedman","tag-game","tag-inning","tag-la","tag-la-headlines","tag-la-news","tag-los-angeles","tag-los-angeles-headlines","tag-los-angeles-news","tag-only-pitcher","tag-osamu-yada","tag-pitch","tag-superstitious-sonoda","tag-team","tag-toronto-blue-jays","tag-world-series","tag-yamamoto","tag-yoshinobu-yamamoto"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34553","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=34553"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34553\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/34554"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34553"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=34553"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=34553"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}