Yamamoto Faces Sale in Crucial Postseason Showdown for Dodgers
WHO:
NY Post - Yoshinobu Yamamoto is a pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
MLB.com - Chris Sale is the ace pitcher for the Atlanta Braves.
MLB.com - Dave Roberts is the manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers.
MLB.com - Freddie Freeman is the first baseman for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
WHAT:
IJR - Yamamoto struck out 10 over 7 innings as the Dodgers beat the Braves 3-1 to take a 2-1 NLDS lead; Hernández and Freeman homered in the fourth.
MLB.com - Yoshinobu Yamamoto will make his first appearance of the postseason in Game 3 of the National League Division Series.
MLB.com - Chris Sale will start Game 3 of the NLDS against the Dodgers after pitching 6 1/3 innings in Game 1 and closing out Game 3 of the Wild Card Series.
MLB.com - The matchup between Yamamoto and Sale is the first postseason duel between starting pitchers who have previously closed out a World Series-clinching game in 88 years.
MLB.com - The first postseason matchup between such pitchers occurred in 1911, and the second in 1938.
MLB.com - Sale highlighted his August 27 outing against the Dodgers by throwing a 100-mph pitch to strike out Shohei Ohtani, marking the first time he threw a triple-digit pitch since 2018.
MLB.com - Ohtani has not homered since August 18, marking a 20-game drought, including NLDS Games 1 and 2.
MLB.com - Ohtani has a 42.9% chase rate on pitches out of the zone in the postseason.
MLB.com - Ronald Acuña is 3-for-18 with three walks, three strikeouts, and no extra-base hits in the postseason's first five games.
MLB.com - Acuña has provided value via three stolen bases in the postseason.
MLB.com - Acuña has a .495 OPS in the 39 postseason plate appearances he’s had since 2023, ranking 108th out of 121 MLB players with at least 35 plate appearances in the postseason since then.
MLB.com - The Dodgers' rotation depth was tested with six starters on the injured list, including Blake Snell and Shohei Ohtani.
MLB.com - Ohtani is hitting 2-for-8 (.250) with two strikeouts in the NL Division Series against the Braves.
MLB.com - Ohtani has a 42.9% chase rate on pitches out of the zone in the postseason.
MLB.com - Ohtani has missed nine times on 20 swings (45% whiff rate), on a variety of pitch types and locations.
MLB.com - Four of the six pitchers he's seen have been left-handed, and 22 of the 25 pitches he’s seen from lefties have either been sinkers or cutters.
MLB.com - In the regular season, Ohtani hit .391 and slugged .891 against sinkers and cutters from left-handers.
MLB.com - Last year, the Dodgers saw Ohtani bust out of a postseason slump in a big way, hitting .103 (3-for-29) with a triple and 14 strikeouts against five walks in the first seven games of the postseason.
MLB.com - Ohtani is limited to hitting only this postseason, and his physical condition may not allow him to break out as dramatically as he did last year.
MLB.com - The matchup between Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Chris Sale is the first postseason duel between starting pitchers who have previously closed out a World Series-clinching game in 88 years.
MLB.com - Sale's last postseason appearance against the Dodgers was in the 2018 World Series, where he secured the final three outs of Game 5.
MLB.com - Sale highlighted his August 27 outing against the Dodgers by throwing a 100-mph pitch to strike out Shohei Ohtani, marking the first time he threw a triple-digit pitch since 2018.
MLB.com - Ohtani has not homered since August 18, marking a 20-game drought, including NLDS Games 1 and 2.
MLB.com - Ohtani has a 42.9% chase rate on pitches out of the zone in the postseason.
MLB.com - Yoshinobu Yamamoto will make his first appearance of the postseason in Game 3 of the National League Division Series.
MLB.com - Chris Sale will start Game 3 of the NLDS against the Dodgers after pitching 6 1/3 innings in Game 1 and closing out Game 3 of the Wild Card Series.
MLB.com - The matchup between Yamamoto and Sale is the first postseason duel between starting pitchers who have previously closed out a World Series-clinching game in 88 years.
MLB.com - The first postseason matchup between such pitchers occurred in 1911, and the second in 1938.
MLB.com - Yoshinobu Yamamoto became the first pitcher in Dodgers franchise history and the 14th in MLB history to achieve three winning decisions in a single World Series.
MLB.com - Chris Sale will start Game 3 of the NLDS against the Dodgers, having had exactly one week of rest since his last start.
MLB.com - Sale made 25 of 27 starts during the regular season with at least one extra day of rest.
MLB.com - Sale highlighted his August 27 outing against the Dodgers by throwing a 100-mph pitch to strike out Shohei Ohtani, marking the first time he threw a triple-digit pitch since 2018.
NY Post - Yoshinobu Yamamoto has never had to outpitch a bonafide ace in a game of this magnitude.
MLB.com - Yamamoto has made 28 starts in the 2026 season.
MLB.com - Chris Sale threw a 109-pitch shutout against the Dodgers on August 27.
MLB.com - Sale highlighted his August 27 outing by throwing a 100-mph pitch to strike out Shohei Ohtani, marking the first time he threw a triple-digit pitch since 2018.
MLB.com - Ronald Acuña is 3-for-18 with three walks, three strikeouts, and no extra-base hits in the postseason's first five games.
MLB.com - Acuña has provided value via three stolen bases in the postseason.
MLB.com - Acuña has a .495 OPS in the 39 postseason plate appearances he’s had since 2023, ranking 108th out of 121 MLB players with at least 35 plate appearances in the postseason since then.
NY Post - Yamamoto has won elimination games for the Dodgers and closed out a World Series.
MLB.com - Yamamoto has a 2.53 ERA and 182 strikeouts across 185 innings in the 2026 season.
MLB.com - The Dodgers' rotation depth was tested with six starters on the injured list, including Blake Snell and Shohei Ohtani.
MLB.com - Ohtani is hitting 2-for-8 (.250) with two strikeouts in the NL Division Series against the Braves.
MLB.com - Ohtani has not homered since August 18, marking a 20-game drought.
MLB.com - Ohtani has a 42.9% chase rate on pitches out of the zone in the postseason.
WHERE:
NY Post - The Dodgers are playing at Truist Park in Atlanta.
MLB.com - The Dodgers' postseason games are part of the National League Division Series.
WHEN:
MLB.com - Game 3 of the National League Division Series is scheduled for 6 p.m. ET on Tuesday.
MLB.com - Game 3 of the National League Division Series is scheduled for 6 p.m. ET.
MLB.com - Game 3 of the National League Division Series is scheduled for Tuesday.
WHY:
MLB.com - Manager Dave Roberts mentioned that Ohtani's performance may be impacted by compensating for injuries and knocking off rust after limited playtime in September.
MLB.com - The Dodgers are evaluating Ohtani's performance due to his recent injuries and limited playtime.
HOW:
MLB.com - Roberts stated he is open to adjusting Ohtani's batting order position based on performance, indicating a willingness to have a conversation with Ohtani about it.
MLB.com - Braves manager Walt Weiss opted to have Sale pitch the final four outs in Game 3 of the Wild Card Series against the Phillies due to a thin bullpen, despite Sale's previous outing just two days prior.
MLB.com - Roberts mentioned that he is open to adjusting Ohtani's batting order position based on performance.
(UPDATED October 7, 2026 05:05 UTC)
In a thrilling matchup, the Dodgers defeated the Braves 3-1, taking a 2-1 lead in the National League Division Series. Pitcher Yamamoto was impressive, striking out ten batters over seven innings, while Hernández and Freeman both hit home runs in the fourth inning. This victory puts the Dodgers in a strong position as they look to advance further in the playoffs.
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(UPDATED October 7, 2026 03:10 UTC)
In an exciting matchup, Yoshinobu Yamamoto will make his postseason debut in Game 3 of the National League Division Series, where he faces off against Chris Sale, who previously pitched 6 and 1/3 innings in Game 1. This duel marks the first time in 88 years that starting pitchers who have both closed out a World Series-clinching game will meet in the postseason, with the game scheduled for 6 p.m. ET on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Shohei Ohtani continues to struggle, having not homered since August 18 and currently hitting just 2-for-8 in the NL Division Series against the Braves.
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(UPDATED October 6, 2026 22:01 UTC)
In a historic postseason matchup, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Chris Sale will face off as the first starting pitchers to have previously closed out a World Series-clinching game in 88 years. Sale, who last appeared in the postseason against the Dodgers during the 2018 World Series, made headlines with a 100-mph pitch to strike out Shohei Ohtani in August, while Ohtani is currently experiencing a 20-game homer drought. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has noted that Ohtani's performance may be affected by injuries and limited playtime, and he is open to discussing adjustments to Ohtani's batting order position based on how he performs.
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(UPDATED October 6, 2026 18:01 UTC)
Yoshinobu Yamamoto is set to make his first postseason appearance in Game 3 of the National League Division Series, where he will face Chris Sale, who previously pitched six and a third innings in Game 1 and closed out Game 3 of the Wild Card Series. This matchup marks the first postseason duel between starting pitchers who have both previously closed out a World Series-clinching game in 88 years, with the last occurrences happening in 1911 and 1938. Game 3 of the NLDS is scheduled for 6 p.m. ET.
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(UPDATED October 6, 2026 17:05 UTC)
Yoshinobu Yamamoto has made history by becoming the first pitcher in Dodgers franchise history and the 14th in MLB history to secure three winning decisions in a single World Series. In other news, Chris Sale is set to start Game 3 of the NLDS against the Dodgers after enjoying a full week of rest since his last appearance, where he notably struck out Shohei Ohtani with a 100-mph pitch, marking his first triple-digit throw since 2018. Additionally, Braves manager Walt Weiss called on Sale to pitch the final four outs in Game 3 of the Wild Card Series against the Phillies, despite Sale having pitched just two days earlier.
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(UPDATED October 6, 2026 15:03 UTC)
Yoshinobu Yamamoto is stepping up to face a true ace for the first time in his career, as he has made 28 starts in the 2026 season. Meanwhile, Chris Sale recently showcased his skills with a remarkable 109-pitch shutout against the Dodgers on August 27, where he struck out Shohei Ohtani with a 100-mph pitch, marking his first triple-digit throw since 2018. On the other hand, Ronald Acuña has struggled in the postseason, hitting just 3-for-18 with no extra-base hits, although he has contributed with three stolen bases.
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(UPDATED October 6, 2026 14:06 UTC)
Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers, has been a key player, winning elimination games and closing out a World Series, while boasting an impressive 2.53 ERA and 182 strikeouts this season. The Dodgers, currently facing the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park in the National League Division Series, are dealing with significant rotation challenges due to injuries, including those of Blake Snell and Shohei Ohtani, who has struggled at the plate with a 20-game homer drought. As Game 3 of the series approaches on Tuesday, manager Dave Roberts is considering adjustments to Ohtani's batting order based on his recent performance.