After the Dodgers escaped with a win in Game 1 of the NLCS, they got right back into it for Game 2 with the Brewers, and it was a more traditional playoff setup of a battle of the aces between Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Freddy Peralta.
While it was Yamamoto who faltered first on the literal first pitch of the game, the Dodgers quickly fought back to give him the lead and then some extra off Peralta. That was really all Yamamoto needed, as he took the banner from end to end for a complete game in an absolutely dominant 5-1 victory.
2-0.
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For the Dodgers, Yoshinobu Yamamoto was looking to bounce back from what was his worst start since mid-August.
Things didn’t start well as the first pitch he threw was hit out oppo for a homer by Jackson Chourio for an early 1-0 lead for the Brewers.
NO TIME TO WASTE#MagicBrew https://t.co/WICpf8vgK8 pic.twitter.com/tWkYM4TAZe
— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) October 15, 2025
He did rebound after that, getting three groundouts over the next 11 pitches.
The 2nd was a weird one, as the inning started with Andrew Vaughn reaching on an error by Max Muncy. Sal Frelick then appeared to ground to Freddie Freeman, who stepped on the bag and then threw wild into left field, but it was actually foul. Frelick then hit almost the exact same ball fair, and Freddie got the lead runner this time before the return throw from Mookie Betts was low and behind Yamamoto, though it likely wasn’t in time for the double play anyway. Thankfully it stayed in play and Yoshi got a strikeout and a groundout to end the inning without drama.
From there, Yamamoto continued rolling on with scoreless innings, allowing just a two-out single in both the 3rd and 4th, and working around a one-out walk in the 5th before cruising through an 11-pitch 6th in order.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s splitter is nasty tonight ? pic.twitter.com/Uu6gjSlHQi
— MLB (@MLB) October 15, 2025
He was rolling, and he was also pitching with a lead.
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Brewers ace Freddy Peralta has been one of the best pitchers in baseball this year, though he wasn’t at his absolute best for his two starts against the Cubs in the NLDS.
In the 1st, Mookie Betts got a one-out walk, but there was nothing else doing. Thankfully, with one out in the 2nd, Teoscar Hernandez got ahead in the count 3-0 and when things got to 3-2, he got a hanging curve and deposited it into the left-field stands to tie things up at 1-1.
Teoooooo! pic.twitter.com/4wigNzY1Qf
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) October 15, 2025
Teoscar Hernández’s fourth home run this Postseason! pic.twitter.com/F6wbfGGiBM
— MLB (@MLB) October 15, 2025
Teoscar Hernández and the @Dodgers answered right back! #NLCS pic.twitter.com/7SjE4IcZex
— MLB (@MLB) October 15, 2025
After a lineout from Tommy Edman, Enrique Hernandez grounded a two-out single up the middle to extend the inning. Surprisingly, it was the struggling Andy Pages who broke his playoff woes with a nice piece of hitting, going the other way down the line for a double to score Enrique and give the Dodgers a 2-1 lead.
Andy for the lead got us cheesin’. pic.twitter.com/vGowdEGU3r
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) October 15, 2025
Shohei was next up, and he also hasn’t been getting hits, but he hit a ball 115 MPH right at the right fielder. That doesn’t help him, and it ended the rally there.
Still, promising passes at that point.
Peralta seemed to settle in a bit in the 3rd when he got three groundouts on just nine pitches. However, he got lucky in the 4th when a Max Muncy liner was speared by a leaping Vaughn at first to save a double, which also saved a run when Tommy Edman laced a two-out ground-rule double that was stranded when Enrique struck out.
In the 5th, Pages got hit by a pitch to start, but a strikeout and double play kept Peralta in the game when it looked like he was a batter away from being removed. As frustrating as that was, it actually worked out in the 6th, because after two more outs started that inning, Pat Murphy let Peralta face one too many lefties and Muncy finally got what he deserved when he went deep to center on a 3-2 pitch to make it 3-1.
No prep needed. Muncy stays Freddy. pic.twitter.com/d3uNHOhugR
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) October 15, 2025
Max Muncy got just enough #NLCS https://t.co/ayn3zqzIms pic.twitter.com/Bv02aaeIgv
— MLB (@MLB) October 15, 2025
All-time leader now.
Dodger fans treat him like a bum every time he slumps, lmao.
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— Chad Moriyama (@chadmoriyama.bsky.social) October 14, 2025 at 3:51 PM
Despite trailing, it was surprisingly Abner Uribe that entered, and Teoscar hit a comebacker off him for an infield single and got to second when Uribe threw wild into the dugout. However, Edman struck out to end the rally there.
Uribe continued in the 7th, and Enrique Hernandez led off with a double to deep center. Andy Pages followed by laying down another sac bunt, which was a questionable decision given his unfamiliarity and the runner already being in scoring position.
Murphy then turned to lefty Aaron Ashby with Ohtani coming up, and after working a 2-2 and fouling off a couple pitches, Ohtani pulled a single through the drawn-in infield to make it 4-1.
Shotime! pic.twitter.com/8Nlxd5XRuM
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) October 15, 2025
After a lineout followed, Ohtani stole second and triggered a bit of PTSD in me.
Triggered.
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— Chad Moriyama (@chadmoriyama.bsky.social) October 14, 2025 at 4:10 PM
They couldn’t capitalize on that risk as Freddie struck out, but they had more insurance.
In the 8th, they got even more when Tobias Myers entered, as he’s more of a low-leverage option and showed why. A Will Smith bloop single was followed by a walk from Muncy to put a pair aboard, and a soft grounder to third from Teoscar put them both in scoring position. That was key when Tommy grounded a single to right through the infield playing in to make it 5-1.
Tommy RBI in the NLCS? You love to see it. pic.twitter.com/D1wcGNe6BR
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) October 15, 2025
That was a key chance to get greedy, but after an Enrique walk loaded the bases, Pages popped out foul. Lefty Robert Gasser entered for Ohtani and got him to strikeout on three sweepers to continue his frustration.
Gasser continued in the 9th, starting by hitting Mookie in the arm, and then allowing a Freddie hustle double hit through the infield. Will was then intentionally passed to load the bases, and he got Muncy to strikeout. Murphy then went to Grant Anderson, who got Teoscar to bounce into a double play to keep the game within striking distance.
Sigh.
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Back to Yamamoto, whose pitch count was still reasonable due to the aggressiveness of the Brewers, so he started the 7th, and got three more groundouts on just 13 pitches as he continued to sail along.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto has retired eight straight in #NLCS Game 2! pic.twitter.com/7XL28uLYt7
— MLB (@MLB) October 15, 2025
Like Snell, Yamamoto came out for the 8th, and like Snell, he continued to be dominant. He got a strikeout and a pair of groundouts on just eight pitches, just absolutely sailing along.
As a result of the aforementioned stranding of runners, it was Yamamoto again in the 9th. He started by getting a can of corn flyout, a routine comebacker, and then a strikeout to notch the complete game.
This “for you it was the most important game of your life, for me, it was Tuesday” celebration by Yamamoto after a playoff CG win, lmao. pic.twitter.com/0UGCfuFYWx
— Chad Moriyama (@ChadMoriyama) October 15, 2025
Just absolute dominance, no runner reached second: 9 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 7 K, 111 Pitches.
“Wow.” pic.twitter.com/Rc2KZUYXcP
— Chad Moriyama (@ChadMoriyama) October 15, 2025
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NLCS is now 2-0 to the Dodgers.
Tomorrow will be a day off as both teams travel to Los Angeles, where they will resume the series on Thursday at 12:08 PM HT/3:08 PM PT/6:08 PM ET on TBS, truTV, and HBO Max. For the Dodgers, it’ll be Tyler Glasnow, while the Brewers is to be determined, but they might do an Opener again with like Jose Quintana in bulk, or maybe even Jacob Misiorowski.
/16x9%20single%20image%20-%202026-02-18T155544.362.webp?ssl=1 "George Russell tops Day 1 of second pre-season test in Bahrain ahead of Oscar Piastri and Charles Leclerc")
