‘Shock’ as the King of Autumn Falls: Dodgers Collapse Behind Yamamoto’s Struggles, Starting 0-2 in NLCS… Red Flag Raised for World Series Three-Peat [MLB]

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Even the ace they relied on crumbled. The LA Dodgers, aiming for a World Series three-peat, hit a wall starting from the National League Championship Series (NLCS).

The Dodgers lost 4-7 to the Milwaukee Brewers in Game 2 of the 2026 MLB postseason NLCS (best-of-seven) on the 13th at Miller Park in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

After being shut down by the opposing pitching staff and losing 1-2 in Game 1, the Dodgers suffered a two-game losing streak on the road and will return to their home ballpark. They are now in a position where they cannot even guarantee a World Series berth, let alone avoid a three-game sweep.

Yamamoto’s slump was painful. Yamamoto, who played the role of ace effectively this season by pitching 185 innings in 28 appearances to record a 14-9 record with a 2.53 ERA and 182 strikeouts, became even stronger every autumn.

Last year, he recorded three solo wins in the World Series, delivering dazzling performances. He grew even stronger as fall arrived. In his career postseason, he has posted an 8-1 record with a 2.14 ERA in 11 games, showcasing the traits of an overwhelming ace.

Dave Roberts, the Dodgers manager who lost Game 1, announced Yamamoto as the starting pitcher for Game 2. There was an expectation that he would naturally fulfill his role, given the memory of him leading a victory with a strong outing of 10 strikeouts and one run allowed over seven innings in Game 3 of the National League Division Series (NLDS) against the Atlanta Braves on the 7th.

The previous day, Manager Roberts showed strong confidence, stating, “Yamamoto, whom we fully trust, will start as our pitcher in Game 2. We must win this game.”

That is why the result was so shocking. Yamamoto was removed before completing three innings. He threw a whopping 75 pitches over 2⅔ innings, allowing four hits and two walks while recording one strikeout and giving up three runs.

The start was good. Mookie Betts, who reached base on a walk in the top of the first inning, advanced to third base on a wild pitch from the opposing pitcher with one out and a runner on second, and scored the go-ahead run on Teoscar Hernandez’s sacrifice fly.

However, Yamamoto wavered starting from the bottom of the first inning. He began by striking out leadoff batter Jackson Chourio, but after allowing a double to Bryce Turang, he gave up a one-run RBI single to William Contreras, allowing the Brewers to tie the game.

The bottom of the second inning ended with three outs in just 14 pitches, but the third inning was the problem. After the lineup added one more run in the top of the third to regain the lead, Yamamoto took the mound but gave up a hit on an errant pitch to leadoff batter David Hamilton and allowed a stolen base. After issuing a walk to Turang, Yamamoto retired Contreras with a flyout to center field, but after giving up a hit following a 12-pitch duel with Jake Bauers, he committed another errant pitch with two outs and the bases loaded, allowing Christian Yelich to hit a go-ahead two-run RBI single. Ultimately, the Dodgers removed Yamamoto and quickly activated their bullpen by calling in Alex Vesia.

The Dodgers also launched a counterattack. In the top of the fifth inning, Kyle Tucker’s double was followed by Tommy Edman’s sacrifice bunt, which resulted in an error on the opposing throw, tying the game. Edman, who had reached second base, scored after advancing on Betts’ hit and tagging up to reach home on Freddie Freeman’s flyout to left field, completing a go-ahead run.

However, Milwaukee also effectively attacked the Dodgers’ bullpen. In the bottom of the fifth inning, Contreras hit a tie-breaking solo home run over the center field fence. In the sixth inning, Hamilton, who reached base on a hit by pitch, advanced to second base on an error on a pickoff throw and scored on Contreras’ RBI hit, giving Milwaukee the lead.

In the bottom of the eighth inning, following Hamilton’s single and walk, Turang hit a one-run RBI single, and Bauers hit a go-ahead single, extending Milwaukee’s lead to 7-4.

Milwaukee’s bullpen, which had shut out the Dodgers without allowing runs over 4⅔ innings the previous day, pitched perfectly for five innings on this day as well, completely shutting down the Dodgers’ lineup to preserve the victory.

In contrast, after Yamamoto left the game, seven pitchers shared the responsibility of 5⅓ innings for the Dodgers, but they gave up four more runs, falling into a painful losing streak.

Ohtani’s prolonged slump also drew sighs. Ohtani went hitless in four at-bats with two strikeouts on this day. He is batting .150 (3 hits in 20 at-bats) in this postseason. With no home runs and no RBIs, the Dodgers are struggling further.

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original