Dodgers roll past Braves' greatest weapon on the back of electric Yoshinobu Yamamoto start

Dave Roberts took a lot of flack for relegating Los Angeles Dodgers ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto to Game 3 of the NLDS, but the decision made sense. The Atlanta Braves posted worse numbers against lefties throughout the regular season, but especially in its last six weeks. The hope was that Tarik Skubal and Blake Snell would lead LA to a two-game lead at home, then Yamamoto — who was also better on the road — would lock it up in Game 3.

Snell disappointed and the Dodgers headed to Atlanta with the series tied, where Yamamoto vs. Chris Sale for Game 3 would be the marquee matchup. Walt Weiss was bullish about withholding his ace until the series moved back home, after a start in Game 1 of the Wild Card and then closing out Game 3.

Postseason performance doesn't factor into Cy Young voting, but if it did, Yamamoto might've won in 2025. His efforts during the Dodgers' October run last year have already gone into the annals of baseball history, and he was looking to build on that reputation in 2026.

He didn't disappoint. Through seven innings, he gave up just four hits and one earned run while striking out 10 Braves batters. He ran into trouble in the fifth, when he gave up back-to-back singles with no outs and then loaded them with one. The first and only Braves run came around to score on an RBI groundout, but he got Ronald Acuña Jr. to end the inning on a slow infield tapper.

Dodgers ride electric Yoshinobu Yamamoto start, Kiké Hernández awakening to NLDS lead over Braves

Edwin Díaz caused some commotion in the ninth, when he gave up a leadoff double to Ozzie Albies, who eventually made his way over to third on a groundout, but he cleaned up after himself and kept the final score frozen at 3-1.

Those three runs came courtesy of a Kiké Hernández two-run homer and a Freddie Freeman solo shot, his second of the series. Hernández's homer could not be less surprising for Dodgers fans, who are well-accustomed to October Kiké, but it announced his return to postseason baseball the only way he knows how.

Sale was supposed to represent the Braves' best chance to get a leg up in this series. Although Tyler Mahle is on deck for Game 4, it was Sale who was meant to be the ringer. The Dodgers' offense might still be subsisting on the home run too much, but it was all they needed with Yamamoto on the mound to lock things down.

After the failures of Game 2, everyone (including fans) was quick to doubt if the Dodgers' three-peat attempt would last much longer. They reminded us tonight that they're never to be underestimated.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow