Yoshinobu Yamamoto takes on Chris Sale as he tries to save Dodgers season

ATLANTA – Yoshinobu Yamamoto has won elimination games for the Dodgers.He’s closed out a World Series.But he’s never had to do this.He’s never had to outpitch a bonafide ace in a game of this magnitude.Pitching opposite Yamamoto for the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday night at Truist Park will be Chris Sale, the former Cy Young Award winner.“He’s the ultimate pitcher,” Yamamoto said in Japanese. The stakes are immense.The team that wins this game will take control of the best-of-five National League Division Series, which is tied at one game apiece. “It’s an important game that will determine the flow of the series,” Yamamoto said, “so I’ll do my best to win.”The pitching matchup will be a rematch of a regular-season showdown – one that Yamamoto lost.In that Aug.27 game in Atlanta, Yamamoto limited the Braves to a run over 6 ⅓ innings.One problem: Sale pitched a complete-game shutout.The Braves won, 1-0.“I was really upset that I lost, of course,” Yamamoto said.

“But tomorrow will be a new game and I’ll focus on tomorrow.”Yamamoto was considerably more successful on the road than at home this season, as he was 6-6 with a 3.13 earned-run average at Dodger Stadium and 8-3 with a 1.77 ERA everywhere else.He has pitched especially well over the years at Truist Park, where he’s made all three of his career starts against the Braves.In his three starts in Atlanta, Yamamoto has a 0.55 ERA and an opponent’s batting average of just .158.“It’s always a festive atmosphere and the fans are very passionate,” Yamamoto said.

“I really like playing here.”Not as if Yamamoto would be shaken by the stage.His breakthrough game in the major leagues was pitched in October.Following a difficult first season with the Dodgers in 2024 in which he missed three months with a shoulder problem, Yamamoto was tasked with starting against the San Diego Padres in Game 5 of their best-of-five NLDS.Earlier in that series, Yamamoto had given up five ...