Dodgers starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto pitched a complete game on Sunday to lead Los Angeles in an 8-2 win over the New York Yankees.
With the win, the Dodgers placed themselves in position for a sweep of the three-game series ahead of the second game of a doubleheader at Yankee Stadium in a rematch of the 2024 World Series.
The complete game was the first of the season for Yamamoto, who pitched two in the postseason last year en route to World Series MVP honors. It was also the first of his career in the regular season.
A Yankees lineup that continues to play without injured MVP Aaron Judge got a solo home run from Trent Grisham in the fourth after three perfect innings by Yamamoto to start the game. An RBI single from Anthony Volpe in the eighth inning mattered little after the Dodgers had scored eight runs. Beyond that, New York did little damage against the two-time All-Star.
Yamaomoto allowed 4 hits and no walks while striking out 7. He He finished the game with a third-strike cutter that painted the lower outside corner and left Jasson DomÃnguez frozen at the plate.
The complete game was the first in the regular season for the Dodgers since 2024.
Shohei Ohtani, meanwhile, led Los Angeles at the plate while hitting 2 for 5 with 2 RBI and 1 run scored. His third-inning double got the scoring started for the Dodgers, who improved to 63-26 with the win to increase their lead in the NL West over the second-place Arizona Diamondbacks to 12 games.
The Yankees, meanwhile, fell to 54-44, two games behind the first-place Tampa Bay Rays in the AL East. The Boston Red Sox, meanwhile, beat the Rays for their 13th straight win to improve to 50-48 and continue their midseason ascent into the AL East race.
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