Yamamoto’s standout performance and the Dodgers’ march to the Division Series
In an indoor practice setting that doubled as a champagne reception, the Dodgers celebrated clinching the Division Series berth. The postgame vibe was festive, but the on-field work had been serious and precise. Star players like Shohei Ohtani and the young ace Roki Sasaki were soaked in champagne for the moment—and then promptly stepped away, leaving the celebration to the teammates who had earned the win in the postseason’s crucible.
After a robust 8-4 victory, the game’s turning point came in the sixth inning, when Dodgers starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto found himself in a no-outs bases-loaded jam with a one-run lead. The moment tested not just his stuff, but his willingness to pitch aggressively with pressure bearing down.
“I didn’t want to allow a hit,” Yamamoto recalled afterward. “I wanted to keep them from scoring any run.” It was a bold stance, but one that matched the moment’s urgency. He began by freezing Austin Hayes with a grounder to short, a play that forced a tricky decision at home and ended up preventing a larger ordeal. Betts, calm and perceptive, fired a decisive throw home, a move that might have been a double-play attempt in another situation but proved the right call here.
The next batter was Sal Stewart, a rookie who had debuted in the majors only a month earlier. Stewart reached the chase count and forced Yamamoto to lock in on the outer edges of the strike zone. A low-and-away curve helped put him away, strike three, and the immediate danger began to lift. Betts watched from the rundown and thought, we’re okay now; the pitcher’s calm and the defense’s quick reaction had stitched up a hole that could have changed the night’s trajectory.
Then came Elly De La Cruz, the two-time All-Star whose presence in the Reds’ lineup had provided plenty of drama this season. With two strikes, Yamamoto challenged again with a curve, mixing it to keep him honest. De La Cruz fouled off a succession of curves, turning the at-bat into a chess match. The last offering, an inside-breaking curve, found the bat’s head in a way that signaled a turning point in the frame. Yamamoto roared as he stood on the mound, having survived the threat and shifted the momentum back to the Dodgers.
That relief was the prelude to a decisive rally. In the bottom half of the inning, Ohtani and Betts delivered back-to-back RBI hits, and the Dodgers tacked on four more runs to extend what had been a tight contest into a more comfortable lead. The scoreboard began to resemble the calm of a practice session rather than a playoff grind, sending a message that when the Dodgers click, they can impose a rhythm that’s hard to disrupt.
Yamamoto’s efficiency in that pivotal sixth—nailing those two big outs and avoiding any tally against him—set the tone for the rest of the evening. The bullpen rode the wave, and the offense did not let the Reds re-enter the game. For a team that often faced late-inning nerves in previous seasons, this was a demonstration that the Dodgers can play with confidence when their ace is on his game.
A looming question: Sasaki and the elusive 8th inning
As the champagne faded into the night, the conversation shifted from celebrations to responsibilities. The notion of a tricky eighth inning has haunted opponents and fans alike in recent cycles, and the question now is whether Sasaki—Japan’s celebrated young arm—can neutralize that pressure in the next round. The upcoming series will test how well a pitcher with pristine stuff and a calm demeanor handles the most challenging frame in a playoff rhythm: the eighth, when fatigue, pressure, and timing collide.
Despite the win, the Dodgers’ path to a deep postseason run will rely on a blend of Yamamoto’s steady attack and Sasaki’s late-inning mastery. If Sasaki can translate his impressive regular-season performance into a reliable eighth-inning option, the team’s bullpen could become a distinct weapon in October. For now, Dodgers fans savor the moment: a clutch win, a step toward the Division Series, and a reminder that the game’s biggest moments often unfold just when the champagne bottles start to pop.
