When the Dodgers needed someone to steady them in Game 3 of the NLDS, they handed the ball to Yoshinobu Yamamoto - and he delivered exactly the kind of outing that has made him one of October’s most trusted arms.
He struck out 10 over seven innings and allowed just one run as Los Angeles faced Braves ace lefty Chris Sale with the series tied, 1-1. The Dodgers had been in that spot before, but the choice on the mound made all the difference.
Yamamoto is back in the same role Monday night against the Brewers. After a loss, the Dodgers are turning to him again, this time with Milwaukee leading the best-of-seven NLCS, 1-0.
His postseason resume is getting hard to ignore. In his playoff debut, Game 1 of the 2024 NLDS, he gave up five earned runs in three innings.
Since then, the numbers have flipped completely. He has posted a 1.50 ERA in 60 postseason innings since that start, and his overall playoff line now sits at a 2.14 ERA and 0.83 WHIP with 58 strikeouts over 63 innings.
The volume matters as much as the run prevention. In an era when starters are often pulled before the game really settles, Yamamoto keeps going.
He threw back-to-back complete games last postseason, first in Game 2 of the NLCS against the Brewers and then in Game 2 of the World Series. He then worked six innings in Game 6 of the World Series to help force a Game 7, and came back in Game 7 with 2 ⅔ innings in relief to earn the win in extra innings.
That kind of workload has built real trust inside the Dodgers clubhouse.
"It's probably not fair to say that I expect that out of him because that's a really great performance," Dodgers Game 1 starter Tarik Skubal said, via The Athletic. "But it's not surprising at all.
"I personally wanted him going Game 1 just because he's the guy, and I have a lot of respect for everything he's done here, especially in the postseason."
Miguel Rojas sounded just as convinced after NLDS Game 3.
"He's becoming one of the best pitchers in this stage," Dodgers infielder Miguel Rojas told MLB.com after NLDS Game 3. "Obviously he hasn't won a Cy Young here or hasn't been the best pitcher in the league, but we feel like every time he takes the mound, he's the best pitcher for us. … And I know he will do whatever to help us out."
The results back that up. The Dodgers have won 10 of the 11 games Yamamoto has appeared in, and they won both his postseason start last week and the next game to eliminate the Braves. He is 8-1 in 11 playoff appearances.
The last five postseason games have been especially brutal for opposing lineups: 5-0, a 1.07 ERA, 32 strikeouts and only four walks in 33 ⅔ innings. He was named World Series MVP in 2025 after going 3-0 with a 1.02 ERA and 0.68 WHIP in 17 ⅔ innings in the Fall Classic, following a complete-game effort in his lone NLCS appearance.
That kind of production has pushed him into a rare category. Among starting pitchers with at least 60 postseason innings in the post-integration era, his 2.14 ERA ranks among the best ever:
Bob Gibson, 1.89 ERA, 81 IP
Fernando Valenzuela, 1.98 ERA, 63 ⅔ IP
Madison Bumgarner, 2.11 ERA, 102 ⅓ IP
Yoshinobu Yamamoto, 2.14 ERA, 63 IP
Curt Schilling, 2.23 ERA, 133 ⅓ IP
Vic Raschi, 2.24 ERA, 60 ⅓ IP
Zack Wheeler, 2.30 ERA, 74 ⅓ IP
Ken Holtzman, 2.30 ERA, 70 ⅓ IP
Sandy Koufax’s career playoff ERA was 0.95, but he finished with 57 innings, just shy of the cutoff used here. The source also points to pre-integration postseason dominance from Babe Ruth, who posted a 0.87 ERA in 31 innings, and Christy Mathewson, who had a 0.97 ERA in 101 ⅔ innings.
And the book on Yamamoto is still being written. He is set to start NLCS Game 2, and if the series demands it, he could take the ball again after that - with the World Series still on the horizon. At 27, signed through 2035, and pitching for a team that reaches the postseason every year, he’s in position to keep adding to a playoff line that already looks historic.
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