LOS ANGELES — Yoshinobu Yamamoto is making a strong impression in his inaugural season with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The team brought the 26-year-old Japanese pitcher on board to help them return to the World Series. He made his World Series debut on Saturday, leading the Dodgers to a 4-2 win over the New York Yankees in Game 2 with an impressive performance.

“He thrives in those situations,” said Teoscar Hernández. “We have confidence in him. Earlier today, I told him it would be a great night for him, and he certainly delivered. He put us in a position to score and kept their runs at bay.”

Yamamoto allowed just one hit, struck out four batters, and walked two during his 6⅓ innings of work. After giving up a home run to Juan Soto in the third inning, he settled down and retired 11 batters in a row.

“In the early innings, we had some productive at-bats against him, which made him work harder,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone remarked. “Once he gained the lead, he found his rhythm. He did a good job of going after hitters right from the start, making it tough to be patient against him.”

Why was Yoshinobu Yamamoto taken out early in Game 2?

After facing Giancarlo Stanton, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts approached the mound to replace Yamamoto, who received a warm standing ovation from the 52,725 fans present. Yamamoto threw 54 strikes out of 86 pitches.

“I focused on each hitter individually,” Yamamoto explained through an interpreter. “I was able to throw strikes when I intended to.”

This outing was among Yamamoto’s longer games in Major League Baseball. He had not pitched beyond the sixth inning since a regular-season game against the Yankees in June, where he also limited his opponents to just two hits.

“There wasn’t much pressure during the game,” Roberts said, explaining his decision on Yamamoto’s playing time. “Since he hasn’t reached the seventh inning since that Yankees game and had thrown only up to 76 pitches, I felt it was a solid foundation to build on.”

Roberts noted he aimed for Yamamoto to pitch to one more batter, Stanton, before replacing him.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s contract details

In December 2023, Yamamoto signed a lucrative 12-year contract valued at $325 million as a free agent.

What’s next for Yoshinobu Yamamoto with the Dodgers?

Yamamoto is expected to be available to pitch in either Game 6 or 7 of the World Series, if needed.

Roberts shared in September that the plan was to allow Yamamoto five days of rest between starts, avoiding any pressure to pitch on shorter rest just because it’s the postseason.