{"id":306039,"date":"2025-10-15T18:39:09","date_gmt":"2025-10-15T18:39:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/306039\/"},"modified":"2025-10-15T18:39:09","modified_gmt":"2025-10-15T18:39:09","slug":"the-unlikely-friendship-powering-the-dodgers-to-nlcs-dominance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/306039\/","title":{"rendered":"The unlikely friendship powering the Dodgers to NLCS dominance"},"content":{"rendered":"

MILWAUKEE \u2014 The ritual began in spring training, when Blake Snell sought out Yoshinobu Yamamoto at breakfast and pestered him about his craft. Those breakfast chats became part of their daily routines. The two Los Angeles Dodgers starters are among the few to understand what it is like to dominate a league, with Snell claiming two Cy Youngs and Yamamoto having three Sawamura Awards<\/a> to his name in Japan.<\/p>\n

So began a kinship that has led one of the greatest collections of starting pitching talents in recent postseason memory and has the Dodgers within two wins of returning to the World Series after a 5-1 victory in Game 2 of the National League Championship Series, pushing each other each step of the way.<\/p>\n

\u201cWatching him succeed, there\u2019s nothing better,\u201d Snell said at his locker Tuesday of Yamamoto, after the two etched their way into Dodgers postseason lore over two nights in Milwaukee. \u201cIt\u2019s just so much fun.\u201d<\/p>\n

The two represent an odd couple. Snell is tall, lanky and left-handed with a viral high school rap video<\/a> circulating on the internet. Yamamoto is the diminutive, nimble right-hander who signed the richest deal for a pitcher ever, whose training ritual is the stuff of legend, and who showed up to American Family Field with hair dyed black and giggled when talking about it.<\/p>\n

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They act like two legends cannot coexist. pic.twitter.com\/T7ve9SJAx4<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) October 15, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

A language barrier represents a gulf between them. Still, the two have often been side by side, studying each other\u2019s starts as they have dissected some of the game\u2019s best lineups.<\/p>\n

Film study should go pretty well this week. A night after Snell turned in one of the finest postseason pitching performances in recent memory, Yamamoto responded by becoming the first Dodger to twirl a postseason complete game since Jos\u00e9 Lima 21 years ago.<\/p>\n

Yamamoto allowed just one run against a Brewers team these two aces have utterly dominated.<\/p>\n

The Dodgers went into American Family Field and snatched hold of this series before Brewers manager Pat Murphy could reach for one of his pocket pancakes<\/a>. They will head back to Dodger Stadium with a 2-0 advantage in the best-of-seven NLCS.<\/p>\n

The Dodgers built their lead behind something this franchise has not seen in October in 37 years: Snell and Yamamoto became the first Dodgers starters to go at least eight innings in consecutive postseason games since Orel Hershiser and Tim Belcher did so to open the 1988 NLCS against the New York Mets.<\/p>\n

That team, memorably, won it all. Last year\u2019s World Series champion Dodgers won despite their starting pitching. Now, in a tribute to the organization\u2019s rich pitching history, their pursuit of a second consecutive title hinges largely on dynamic starters from Snell to Yamamoto to Tyler Glasnow and Shohei Ohtani.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you can have your most talented pitchers get the most outs, then you\u2019re in a good spot,\u201d manager Dave Roberts said.<\/p>\n

Snell became the first pitcher since Don Larsen in the 1956 World Series to face the minimum through eight innings. When he returned to the dugout after his final inning of work, Yamamoto greeted him with a bow.<\/p>\n

Then, in Game 2, it was Yamamoto\u2019s turn to work deep into the game.<\/p>\n

Jackson Chourio jumped all over the first fastball he threw, launching it into the right-field seats for a leadoff home run. As he rounded the bases, Chourio became the only Brewer all night who would so much as touch second base.<\/p>\n

Yamamoto allowed just three hits and a walk and saw a batter reach on an error over his nine innings. He retired the last 14 batters he faced, exuding so much control over the game that Roberts never even considered sitting Yamamoto for the ninth inning. It had been exactly eight years since Major League Baseball had seen a complete game in the postseason, when Justin Verlander went nine innings and allowed just one run against the New York Yankees in the ALCS.<\/p>\n

Yamamoto joined him with his 111th pitch, a total that spoke to his supreme efficiency. His splitter was electric all night, from the first inning up until Andrew Vaughn swung through his last one to end the ninth.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s probably the two best back-to-back games pitched ever, that I\u2019ve seen,\u201d said Will Smith, who was behind the plate both nights. \u201cJust glad they\u2019re on our side.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s just pretty amazing how Snell did it,\u201d Clayton Kershaw said. \u201cYou couldn\u2019t pitch much better than that. Then what Yama did today was just amazing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re both equally impressive,\u201d Max Muncy said. \u201cI don\u2019t know which one you\u2019d rather pick.\u201d<\/p>\n

Luckily, the Dodgers don\u2019t have to choose. Snell had a front-row seat to watch Yamamoto follow up on his work. Snell admired how Yamamoto handled the first blow, steadying himself in an atmosphere that was finally coming to life. Yamamoto didn\u2019t let that happen. The Dodgers have spoken often this season about the confidence that has come in Yamamoto\u2019s second season in the majors, and the trust that has been created. It also doesn\u2019t hurt that he\u2019s been able to lean on Snell all the way through.<\/p>\n

Which made Snell all the more excited to talk about him Tuesday night.<\/p>\n

\u201cSeeing the way it started, a home run, it can rattle you,\u201d Snell said. \u201cBut he stayed poised, understood. The way he attacked them afterward was great. He learned from it. So that was awesome to see. It\u2019s fun to see him just learn, game plan, and go through the game and get better and better. He\u2019s just evolving really quickly, and it\u2019s a lot of fun to watch.\u201d<\/p>\n

It didn\u2019t take much for Snell to lay out what he saw in Yamamoto, the prime free-agent pitching prize the year before the Dodgers shelled out for Snell.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe has good energy, was easy to love and cheer for and root for,\u201d Snell said.<\/p>\n

The two bonded quickly over baseball. \u201cAnd fashion,\u201d Snell added. They had breakfast each morning together at the organization\u2019s Arizona spring training complex. Yamamoto\u2019s English improved enough in his second year that the brief conversations have evolved.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt the personal level, I get to learn a lot from him,\u201d Yamamoto said through interpreter Yoshihiro Sonoda. \u201cAfter my outings, we kind of review together the game I pitched through. He tells me what he sees. And I think that\u2019s great for me.\u201d<\/p>\n

The pairing has done wonders already. Now, the ritual could soon be in preparation for a World Series.<\/p>\n