MILWAUKEE (AP) — Yoshinobu Yamamoto finally flopped in a playoff game, and now the Los Angeles Dodgers are heading back home with their bid for a third straight championship in serious jeopardy.
asserted
bid → flop → jeopardy
Yamamoto lasted just 2 2/3 innings for his shortest postseason start as the Dodgers lost 7-4 to Milwaukee on Monday to fall behind 2-0 in the National League Championship Series.
asserted
Dodgers → last → Series
The Brewers continually fouled off pitches and drove up Yamamoto’s pitch count before knocking him out of the game.
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Brewers → foul → game
“I don’t know the exact reason yet,” Yamamoto said through an interpreter.
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Yamamoto → know → interpreter
“I need to check the videos and then I can reflect on what happened today.”
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what → need → videos
Yamamoto, the 2025 World Series MVP, entered 8-1 with a 2.14 ERA in 11 career postseason appearances.
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Yamamoto → enter → appearances
In Game 2 of the Dodgers’ NLCS sweep of Milwaukee last season, Yamamoto threw a three-hitter and pitched the first playoff complete game since Houston’s Justin Verlander threw one in 2017.
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Verlander → throw → 2017
In three previous postseason starts following Dodgers losses, Yamamoto had gone 3-0 with a 1.23 ERA.
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Yamamoto → follow → ERA
The Dodgers were banking on him to deliver another gem to tie the NLCS as they continue their quest to become the first NL team to win three straight World Series.
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they → bank → Series
“I think everybody’s so used to him being a robot that if he didn’t go eight innings, no hits, whatever, it wasn’t Yamamoto,” Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts said.
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Betts → think → innings
“It shows he’s a human being and it’s playoff baseball.”
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it → show → ?
Yamamoto was unable to protect two Los Angeles leads in the first three innings.
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Yamamoto → protect → innings
After the Dodgers scored in the top of the first, Milwaukee tied the game in the bottom half when Yamamoto allowed a one-out double to Brice Turang and William Contreras followed with an RBI single.
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Contreras → score → single
The turning point of Yamamoto’s night came in the third.
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point → come → third
The Brewers trailed 2-1 but had runners on first and second with two outs when Jake Bauers stepped to the plate.
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Bauers → trail → plate
Bauers worked the count full and then fouled off six straight pitches from Yamamoto before capping his 12-pitch plate appearance with a walk that loaded the bases.
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that → work → bases
“It was a blast, honestly,” Bauers said.
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Bauers → say → ?
Any time you can get that locked in doing anything, it’s to me one of the most enjoyable experiences I think a human being can have.”
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being → lock → experiences
It wasn’t very enjoyable for Yamamoto, particularly after Christian Yelich came up next and lined a two-run single to center.
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Yelich → come → center
Yelich’s hit put Milwaukee ahead 3-2 and knocked Yamamoto out of the game.
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hit → put → game
Yamamoto ended up allowing two walks and four hits while striking out only one batter.
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Yamamoto → end → batter
He threw 75 pitches, including 36 in the third inning.
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He → throw → inning
“He just didn’t have it tonight, which is very rare,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said.
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Roberts → have → it
The Dodgers pulled back ahead 4-3 in the fifth, but they couldn’t maintain the lead and then Los Angeles’ lineup had no answers for Milwaukee’s bullpen.
asserted
lineup → pull → bullpen
Milwaukee relievers Dustin May, JoJo Romero, Abner Uribe and Aaron Ashby combined to retire Los Angeles’ last 15 batters, continuing the Dodgers’ postseason slump.
uncertain
May → combine → slump
Los Angeles got just three hits Monday and is 2 for 26 with runners in scoring position during the playoffs.
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Angeles → get → playoffs
Four-time MVP Shohei Ohtani hit his last homer way back on Aug. 18.
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Ohtani → hit → Aug.
If the Dodgers don’t start hitting, Yamamoto might not get another opportunity to pitch this postseason.
“Our job now is to win several games and give him another chance,” third baseman Max Muncy said, “because I know that next time out he’s going to dominate.”
uncertain
he → start → chance
The Aporia
