LOS ANGELES (AP) — Yoshinobu Yamamoto allowed just one hit in 6 1/3 innings, Freddie Freeman homered for the second straight night and the Los Angeles Dodgers hit three early homers off Carlos Rodón to beat the New York 4-2 on Saturday. Yankees, extending their lead in the World Series to 2-0.
Tommy Edman and Teoscar Hernández also hit home runs for the Dodgers, who nevertheless closed the game with concern. Their Japanese star Shohei Ohtani left the field with a left arm injury at the end of the seventh inning.
After the Yankees came close on Giancarlo Stanton’s ninth-inning RBI single against Blake Treinen, Alex Vesia came on in relief with the bases loaded and retired pinch-hitter José Treviño on a first-pitch fly ball to earn the save.
Yamamoto allowed Juan Soto’s home run in the third inning. However, the Japanese retired his last 11 batters and 15 of his final 16.
“I was really looking forward to releasing this game,” Yamamoto commented. “And I’m glad the ending was happy.”
Dominican Soto also singled in the ninth and scored on Stanton’s hit that bounced off third base. Jazz Chisholm Jr. singled and Anthony Rizzo was hit by a pitch, loading the bases. Treinen struck out Anthony Volpe before Vesia came on in relief.
Ohtani was injured when he slipped and was caught stealing second base in the seventh inning.
“He suffered a slight subluxation of his left shoulder. We’re going to run some tests sometime tonight or tomorrow, and we’ll know more in the next couple of days,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “His strength is good and his movement is good, so that encourages us. But obviously I can’t speculate.”
Game 3 is scheduled for Monday night at Yankee Stadium. Forty-five of the 56 teams that have had a 2-0 lead in the World Series have gone on to win the title.
“No one said it would be easy,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “The series is long and we need it to be long. We will not falter.”
New York’s Aaron Judge went 0 for 4 with three strikeouts. He languishes at a .150 average with six RBIs and 19 strikeouts in 40 at-bats in the postseason.
Soto’s tying homer off an inside fastball was the only run Yamamoto allowed in two starts and 13 1/3 innings against the Yankees this year. The Japanese retired amid a loud ovation and gave a slight gesture of thanks with his cap to the fans as he walked towards the dugout.
Yamamoto joined the Dodgers last December on a 12-year, $325 million contract, a record for pitchers, teaming with Ohtani to generate unprecedented major league interest in Japan.
But from June 15 to September 10, Yamamoto was out of action due to a rotator cuff strain in his elbow. This was his best start since the injury.
In his longest outing since his start in the Bronx, Yamamoto struck out four and walked two with a five-pitch pitch that included curveballs, splitters, sliders and cut fastballs. He improved his record to 2-0 in four postseason starts.
He pitched his best regular-season game at Yankee Stadium in June, when he allowed three hits in seven scoreless innings.
Hernandez hit three home runs and nine RBIs in that three-game series.
A night after Freeman hit the first grand slam to end a World Series game in history, Edman put the Dodgers ahead with a solo home run in the second.
After Soto tied the score, Mookie Betts singled with two outs in the bottom half and Hernandez, who was in a slump in which he had gone 3 for 27, hit a home run into the pavilion in right-center field.
Freeman, who before Friday had not hit a home run since Sept. 16, was greeted with standing ovations before each at-bat. He worked the full count and also hit a home run between right and center field.
Despite not having fully recovered from a sprained right ankle. Freeman has homered in four consecutive games in the Series, dating back to the Atlanta Braves’ last two games against the Houston Astros in 2021. He is one shy of the record held by the Astros’ George Springer.
The Dodgers’ three home runs came on fastballs from Rodón, whose 31 home runs allowed during the regular season tied for second-most in the majors. Los Angeles hit consecutive home runs in the Series for the second time, after Pedro Guerrero and Steve Yeager hit it off the Yankees’ Ron Guidry for a 2-1 victory in Game 5 in 1981.
Rodón allowed four runs and six hits in three and a third innings.
Los Angeles took a 2-0 Series lead for the first time since 1988, when Kirk Gibson’s home run off the Oakland Athletics’ Dennis Eckersley ended the first game. Orel Hershiser followed with a three-hit game.
The Yankees are 0-2 for the first time since 2001, when they won three in a row at home but lost the sixth and seventh at the Arizona Diamondbacks.
For the Yankees, Venezuelan Gleyber Torres 3-0. The Dominican Soto is 2-for-4 with two runs scored and one RBI. Mexican Alex Verdugo 3-0.
For the Dodgers, Dominican Hernández is 2-for-4 with one run scored and two RBIs. Puerto Rican Kiké Hernández 3-0. Venezuelan Miguel Rojas 3-0.
