After their 3-1 victory on Tuesday, the Los Angeles Dodgers are one win away from the NLCS.
LA’s win over the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday evening (in Atlanta) came in large part thanks to ace starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Yamamoto pitched seven strong innings in a marquee pitching duel against Chris Sale.
The Dodgers were able to get to Chris Sale in the fifth inning with two home runs, which proved to be the difference in the pivotal Game Three.
Following the game, Yamamoto dropped a blunt Chris Sale quote about their star-studded pitching matchup.
More MLB on Heavy: Yoshinobu Yamamoto Made MLB History in Dodgers-Braves NLDS Game 3
Yamamoto Doesn’t Think He Out-Pitched Chris Sale
Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s final pitching line was:
7.0 IP, 4H, 1ER, 1BB, 10 K’s (career best in playoffs)
Chris Sale’s final pitching line was:
5.0 IP, 7H, 3ER, 7 K’s
Here is what Yamamoto had to say following the Dodgers’ Game 3 win:
Did Yoshinobu Yamamoto Outpitch Chris Sale?
If you look at the final lines, yes, it appears that Yoshinobu Yamamoto outpitched Chris Sale, but just two swings really made the difference in this contest.
Kike Hernandez hit a towering two-run blast to put the Dodgers on the board, and then Freddie Freeman hit a solo home run to extend the Dodgers’ lead.
Yamamoto got into some trouble in the 6th inning, where he allowed a run, but he didn’t waver and continued to dominate afterward, and got through the seventh inning.
Yoshi has already indicated that he would be ready to pitch for the Dodgers again in this series (if it’s pushed to a Game 5).
Chris Sale had one of the best regular seasons of any starter in MLB, but Yamamoto’s body of work wasn’t too shabby either, and you could tell Yamamoto was taking this game slightly personal while pitching.
Dodgers’ Yoshinobu Yamamoto Dropped Blunt Chris Sale Quote After Braves Game