Dodgers Announce Yoshinobu Yamamoto Decision Before Braves NLDS Opener

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The Dodgers announced their Yoshinobu Yamamoto decision ahead of the NLDS opener against the Braves, setting their pitching plans for Game 1.

The Los Angeles Dodgers named Yoshinobu Yamamoto their National League Division Series Game 3 starter against the Atlanta Braves, setting up a Tuesday showdown at Truist Park.

Manager Dave Roberts built the playoff rotation around rest, and Atlanta’s splits against left-handers, leaving open how the rotation shakes out if the series goes the full five games.

The Dodgers confirmed Blake Snell to start Game 2 on Sunday, which pushes Yamamoto back to Tuesday, according to True Blue LA. First pitch at Truist Park for Game 3 arrives at 3 p.m. PT on Oct. 6, according to FOX Sports.

Why Dave Roberts Chose Yoshinobu Yamamoto for Game 3

“If you’re fortunate enough to keep moving on, things start to get more unpredictable. So I think that at the outset, if you can kind of line it up in such a way to giving guys ample rest, it just puts you in a better position for more options down the road,” Roberts said Friday, per True Blue LA.

Yamamoto has never started a major league game on fewer than five days’ rest, and Tuesday gives him his most fully extended break of the year, according to True Blue LA. His last regular-season outing came Sept. 23, with only a simulated game Wednesday, according to NBC Sports.

The schedule also sets him up for National League Championship Series Game 2 on Oct. 12 on five days’ rest, if Los Angeles advances. Atlanta hit .240/.300/.396 against left-handers this season, a 91 wRC+ that ranked 24th in the majors. Los Angeles opens with two left-handers, Tarik Skubal and Snell.

Location helps too. Yamamoto posted a 1.77 ERA and 2.93 FIP in 12 road starts this season, compared with 3.13 and 3.65 at home, and 14 of the 20 home runs he allowed came at Dodger Stadium.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s Record Against the Braves

Yamamoto has made three career starts against Atlanta, all at Truist Park, going 1-1 with a 0.55 ERA, 17 strikeouts and five walks, according to StatMuse. On Aug. 27 he struck out eight over 6 1/3 innings, but lost 1-0 on a solo homer.

On May 2, 2025, he held Atlanta to one hit over six scoreless innings in a 2-1 Dodgers win. Current Braves batters have hit .216/.273/.412 against him in 51 at-bats, according to ESPN, including Matt Olson at 0-for-6 and Ha-Seong Kim at 3-for-7 with a homer.

Atlanta won the season series 5-1, including a three-game sweep at Truist Park in late August.

“Everyone knows the Dodgers have a juggernaut, but we played well against them this year,” Braves manager Walt Weiss said, per Fastbreak.

Chris Sale, Atlanta’s ace at 2.16 ERA with 200 strikeouts in 162 2/3 innings, closed the wild-card clincher against Philadelphia.

The Braves had not named a Game 3 starter as of Saturday afternoon.

Yamamoto finished 2026 at 14-9 with a 2.53 ERA, 0.87 WHIP and 182 strikeouts in 185 innings, according to CBS Sports. On Sept. 15 at Cincinnati, he threw seven scoreless innings, allowing one hit, per StatMuse.

Through 2025, Yamamoto is 7-1 with a 2.25 ERA across 56 postseason innings, according to ESPN. He was the 2025 World Series MVP, yet his NLDS Game 3 start against Philadelphia that year ended after four-plus innings and three runs in an 8-2 loss.

Born Aug. 17, 1998, in Bizen, Japan, the 5-foot-10, 176-pound right-hander wears No. 18. He signed a 12-year, $325 million contract with Los Angeles in December 2023.