Yoshinobu Yamamoto shines and saves the Dodgers bullpen in his World Series debut

Los Angeles Dodgers starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto gave his team a gift on Saturday. He pitched a one-hit game in the seventh inning of a World Series game against the New York Yankees. And while the first part of that sentence was of course beautiful, it was the following sentence that may ultimately prove to be the most important. This was one of the best games Yamamoto had in his first year in the MLB. But its greatest value may lie in its length.

The Dodgers are in an enviable position. They are now 2-0 over the Yankees in the World Series The 4-2 win on Saturday. But there are still areas of this squad that are cause for concern. This rotation could generously be described as threadbare: the only place to look for a full starting five here is on the injured list. Los Angeles has made the playoffs so far with just three starting players, two of whom have missed significant time this year due to injuries themselves, making it difficult to rely on them seriously. The Dodgers' top relievers have handled the resulting stress admirably, handling bullpen games in every round, even in critical situations. But that weight piles up. Still, along with Yamamoto's outing on Sunday, they were given a crucial opportunity to take a breath.

It was only the second time in 13 playoff games this year that a Dodgers starter reached seventh.

“Obviously the bullpen is going to be used a lot in this series,” said Dodgers reliever Michael Kopech, who pitched the eighth inning on Saturday. “And the fact that he gives us some length and can not only pitch well but also dominate, that’s huge.”

This was the most important start Yamamoto made for the Dodgers, and it was also one of his best. In 6 1/3 innings, he allowed just one hit and two walks and struck out four. Yamamoto managed to do his best as he settled in and the night continued: he retired the last eleven batters he saw. This achievement was all the more impressive considering that he had been so intensively involved in a game more than four months ago.

A strained rotator cuff kept Yamamoto out for most of this summer. Entering Saturday, he had not thrown more than 79 pitches in a game since returning to the mound in mid-September, and he had not pitched past the fifth inning. Although the Dodgers won all four games this postseason, his performance was somewhat inconsistent, with a particularly difficult first career playoff start in the National League Division Series. Still, he handled the middle inning of his first World Series game with such ease that Dodgers captain Dave Roberts had no doubts about letting him go over 80 pitches to get to the seventh inning.

“When I watched him throw the baseball,” the manager said, “the game wasn’t particularly stressful.”

When asked what he thought worked best for him, Yamamoto gave a clear answer: “Everything worked well today,” he said through an interpreter. That was similar to Yankees manager Aaron Boone's response. “I liked his fastball, he slowed us down with a little curveball and then of course the slider and the split,” he said. In other words? Everything. It was a testament to what the diminutive right-hander can be at his best.

This particular phase may not be familiar to Yamamoto. But he has already performed well in championship series. Almost a year ago, in his final professional game in Nippon Professional Baseball, he took the mound for Game 6 of the Japan Series. He delivered one of the most dazzling performances of his successful career: Yamamoto threw a complete game on 138 pitches and set a record with 14 strikeouts. Six weeks later, he had signed his 12-year, $325 million contract with the Dodgers, hoping to one day produce a similar feat in a World Series.

“He was made for these moments,” Dodgers outfielder Teoscar Hernández said. “He did it in Japan before he came here, and as soon as he got here he did it here. We trust him.”

That paid off. The Los Angeles bullpen is trying to manage both its workload and its contact with the New York lineup. Yamamoto gave them a break on both fronts Saturday.

“It really took a lot of pressure off the bullpen,” Dodgers reliever Anthony Banda said. “What he did here was huge.”