Yoshinobu Yamamoto pitched an effective six-plus innings Tuesday night and the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the Toronto Blue Jays 4-1.
Yamamoto (2-1) allowed one run, five hits and one walk with six strikeouts in his first appearance back in the stadium where he was named World Series MVP last year after closing out Game 7.
Edwin Diaz pitched around a single and a walk in the ninth to earn his fourth save.
Alex Freeland had three hits for the Dodgers, who have won five in a row while the Blue Jays have lost six straight.
Los Angeles took a 2-0 lead in the third against Kevin Gausman (0-1), who opposed Yamamoto in Games 2 and 6 of the World Series.
Hyeseong Kim, starting at shortstop after Miguel Rojas was a late scratch because of a family matter, opened with a double to right center. He took third when Freeland reached first on a sacrifice bunt. Gausman’s throw to first hit Freeland. Shohei Ohtani lined an RBI single high off the right field wall, and Freeland scored from third on Will Smith’s fielder’s choice.
Toronto manager John Schneider was ejected in the fifth for arguing a balk call on Gausman. That moved Kim, who led off the inning with a walk, to second. He scored on Freeland‘s single.
Mason Fluharty replaced Gausman with one out and two on in the sixth.
Gausman allowed three runs, five hits and two walks with five strikeouts in 5 1/3 innings.
Yamamoto retired 12 in a row before Andres Gimenez singled to right to lead off the home sixth. George Springer lashed an RBI double to right center with one out.
Freeland led off the seventh with a double, but Fluharty retired the next two hitters before Louis Varland replaced him to get the final out.
Kazuma Okamoto led off the Toronto seventh with a double to center. He took third on Ernie Clement’s bunt single to third. Alex Vesia replaced Yamamoto and walked pinch hitter Davis Schneider to load the bases. Vesia worked out of the jam with two shallow flyouts and a strikeout.
Los Angeles added a run in the ninth against Jeff Hoffman when Freeland reached second on a two-out infield hit and an error by catcher Brandon Valenzuela. Kyle Tucker brought him home with an RBI single.
–Field Level Media
