Yamamoto Returns to the Stadium That Made Him Famous and the Dodgers Can't Be Stopped

Yoshinobu Yamamoto pitched like a man on a mission Tuesday night at Rogers Centre, and the Los Angeles Dodgers kept rolling with a 4-1 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays. For Yamamoto, this wasn't just another start. This was the same stadium where he was named World Series MVP last year after closing out Game 7. Coming back here and dealing? That's a statement.

Yamamoto Shows Why the Dodgers Are Cooking

The right-hander was absolutely dialed in, allowing just one run on five hits and a walk while striking out six over six-plus innings. He retired 12 straight batters before Andres Gimenez broke up the streak with a single in the sixth. Yamamoto improved to 2-1 with the outing, and it's clear he's hitting his stride early in the season. The Dodgers offense backed him up just fine, with Alex Freeland going off for three hits and setting the tone at the top of the order.

Los Angeles jumped ahead 2-0 in the third against Blue Jays starter Kevin Gausman. Hyeseong Kim, who started at shortstop after Miguel Rojas was scratched late due to a family matter, doubled to right center to kick things off. Freeland reached on a sacrifice bunt, and when Gausman's throw to first hit Freeland, Kim took third. Shohei Ohtani then ripped an RBI single high off the right field wall, and Freeland scored on Will Smith's fielder's choice to make it 2-0. Freeland struck again in the fourth with a single that scored Kim, who had walked to lead off the inning. That made it 3-0 Dodgers.

Toronto Falls Further Behind

Gausman couldn't get out of the fifth, surrendering three runs on five hits and two walks with five strikeouts in 5 1/3 innings. His record dropped to 0-1. Blue Jays manager John Schneider was ejected in the fifth for arguing a balk call, which only added to Toronto's frustration. The Blue Jays have now lost six straight games, while the Dodgers extended their winning streak to five in a row.

Toronto got one back in the sixth when George Springer blasted an RBI double to right center with one out, making it 3-1. The Dodgers added insurance in the ninth when Freeland reached second on an infield hit and an error by catcher Brandon Valenzuela, and Kyle Tucker brought him home with an RBI single to seal the 4-1 win. Edwin Diaz closed it out in the ninth for his fourth save.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.