Dave Roberts Explains Decision to Pull Pitcher Yamamoto in NLCS Game 2
Dodgers manager cited the need to 'stop the damage' as the reason for removing Yoshinobu Yamamoto earlier than expected.
Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts explained his decision to pull pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto during Game 2 of the National League Championship Series (NLCS), stating the necessity to halt the opposing team's momentum. Yamamoto's outing was the shortest of his postseason career.
Roberts told Ken Rosenthal during a live interview on the Fox broadcast, “For me, I felt we had to stop the damage right there.” Yamamoto was removed after pitching 2 ⅔ innings, during which he allowed three runs, four hits, two walks, and recorded only one strikeout on 75 pitches. This performance marked his shortest start in the postseason.
The pivotal moment came after Christian Yelich hit a two-RBI single, giving the Brewers a 3-2 lead. Prior to that, Yamamoto faced Jake Bauers in the longest at-bat of his career, lasting 12 pitches, with six foul balls in a 3-2 count.
Roberts attributed the team's struggles to the home crowd and the momentum building from the Brewers' offense. “Obviously they’re at home, they feel the momentum, Hamilton leads off, steals a base, and they kind of feed off of that,” Roberts commented. “We just gotta reset, regroup. We’ve got six innings of baseball to play.”
Following Yamamoto's exit, Alex Vesia entered the game and struck out Garrett Mitchell. The Dodgers later regained the lead in the fifth inning when Kyle Tucker scored on a throwing error. Freddie Freeman extended the lead with a sacrifice fly. However, the Brewers managed to tie the game at 4 on a solo home run by William Contreras.