Japan's dual aces connect as Yoshinobu Yamamoto starts strong and Roki Sasaki closes with blazing fastballs; Dodgers sweep to advance.

Yamamoto hit a batter in the first inning, and an outfield misplay by Teoscar Hernández caused two unearned runs, but Yamamoto burned through 113 pitches to finish 6.2 innings without allowing further runs, leading the Los Angeles Dodgers to an 8-4 home victory over the Cincinnati Reds. With this 2-0 win, they became the first wild card team this year to advance, heading to Philadelphia to face the National League East leader Phillies in the NL Division Series. The Reds’ 30-year postseason series win drought continues.

In the top of the first with one out, Yamamoto’s curveball hit Spencer Steer for the second out while holding the runner at first, but Teoscar Hernández failed to catch a routine fly ball by Austin Hays, loading second and third base. Sal Stewart timely cleared the bases.

The Dodgers counterattacked in the middle innings; in the bottom of the third, leadoff hitter Ben Rortvedt doubled and advanced to third on Shohei Ohtani’s grounder. Mookie Betts followed with a clutch hit to narrow the gap. In the bottom of the fourth, Max Muncy singled, then with one out, postseason standout Enrique “Kiké” Hernández and Miguel Rojas hit consecutive singles, driving in runs and completing the comeback.

In the top of the sixth, Yamamoto’s signature curveball was hit for a single by Reds leadoff man TJ Friedl, followed by singles from Spencer Steer and Gavin Lux on a high bouncing ball between pitcher and third base. However, Yamamoto induced a grounder to shortstop from Austin Hays, allowing Mookie Betts to throw home for a force out. He then struck out Sal Stewart and Elly De La Cruz on curveballs to escape the jam.

Due to bullpen struggles late in the season and a 6th inning rally fueled by hits from Enrique Hernández, Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, Teoscar Hernández, plus Reds’ defensive errors, the Dodgers sent 10 batters to the plate scoring 4 more runs. Manager Dave Roberts allowed Yamamoto to continue pitching into the top of the 7th inning.

Although the Japanese ace’s four-seam fastball still reached around 97 mph and his curveball remained effective, his control wavered, issuing two walks and falling short of a high-quality start by one out. Reliever Blake Treinen quickly recorded outs, leaving runners on first and second but preserving Yamamoto’s scoreless record.

In the bottom of the 7th, with one out and runners on second and third, the hot-hitting Mookie Betts doubled to add another run. However, the Dodgers bullpen faltered again in the top of the 8th. Starter-turned-reliever Emmet Sheehan faced 27 pitches to get only one out, allowing two hits, two walks, and two runs. Fortunately, lefty Alex Vesia found the strike zone with bases loaded, striking out TJ Friedl to stop the bleeding.

Yamamoto threw 113 pitches with 77 strikes, setting a new career high in pitch count since coming to the U.S. He allowed 4 hits over 6.2 innings, struck out 9, walked 2, hit one batter, and gave up 2 unearned runs. Combined with his 2-0 postseason record last year, he improved to 3 consecutive playoff wins in his career.

The Dodgers’ offense shone brightest through Mookie Betts, who went 4-for-5 with two doubles and 3 RBIs. Despite a costly defensive error in the first inning, Teoscar Hernández contributed 1 hit and 2 RBIs in 5 at-bats. Enrique Hernández, Miguel Rojas, and Ben Rortvedt each recorded two hits batting seventh through ninth. Shohei Ohtani went 1-for-4 with an RBI and drew one walk.

In the top of the ninth, Roki Sasaki made his MLB postseason debut as the closer, throwing fastballs over 100 mph paired with his signature splitter. He struck out Spencer Steer and Gavin Lux consecutively, then induced a fly ball to shortstop from Austin Hays to finish the inning with a perfect three-up, three-down performance.