Yamamoto Dominates as Dodgers Take 2-0 NLCS Lead/ Newslooks/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Morning Edition/ Yoshinobu Yamamoto delivered a complete-game three-hitter as the Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the Milwaukee Brewers 5-1, taking a 2-0 lead in the NLCS. Backed by power hitting from Max Muncy and Teoscar Hernández, the Dodgers now head to Los Angeles with momentum. The Brewers face elimination pressure after managing just five hits in the series.
NLCS Domination: Quick Looks
- Yamamoto pitched a complete-game three-hitter, first postseason CG in 8 years
- Dodgers take 2-0 lead in the NLCS over Brewers
- Max Muncy hits record-setting 14th postseason homer
- Teoscar Hernández belts his fourth playoff home run
- Yamamoto retires final 14 batters, strikes out seven
- Milwaukee’s only run came on Jackson Chourio’s leadoff homer
- Shohei Ohtani breaks slump with RBI single in the seventh
- Brewers now have just five hits in the series
- Game 3 shifts to Los Angeles Thursday, Dodgers one win from 3-0 stranglehold
- Historical odds favor Dodgers, with 24 of 27 teams up 2-0 on the road winning the series
Deep Look: Yamamoto’s Complete Game Dominates Brewers as Dodgers Grab 2-0 NLCS Lead
MILWAUKEE — October 15, 2025
The Los Angeles Dodgers moved within two wins of another World Series berth on Tuesday night, riding a dominant complete-game performance from Yoshinobu Yamamoto to a 5-1 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers in Game 2 of the National League Championship Series (NLCS).
Yamamoto’s three-hit gem was the first complete game in MLB postseason play since 2017, a rarity in modern baseball, and helped the defending champions take a commanding 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.
Coming off Blake Snell’s eight-inning one-hitter in Game 1, the Dodgers became the first team since the 2010 Giants to post back-to-back postseason starts of eight innings or more. It’s a striking contrast to their approach last season, when Los Angeles starters went six innings or more in just two of 16 playoff games.
“We said before this postseason started, our starting pitching was going to be what carried us,” said Max Muncy, who launched his 14th career playoff homer, a Dodgers franchise record.
Yamamoto, the $325 million ace signed out of Japan, allowed a leadoff home run to Jackson Chourio but then settled in, retiring the final 14 batters and not allowing a hit after the fourth inning. He struck out seven and walked one across 111 pitches — 81 for strikes.
“After the home run, I reset my mind and focused on my execution,” Yamamoto said through an interpreter.
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The last pitcher to throw a complete game in the postseason was Justin Verlander for the Astros in Game 2 of the 2017 ALCS. Yamamoto’s was also the first postseason complete game by a Dodgers pitcher since José Lima in 2004.
His performance earned praise from manager Dave Roberts, who said, “Our team is playing its best baseball of the year, and our starters are setting the tone.”
Power and Production
Los Angeles wasted no time responding to Chourio’s homer. In the second inning, Teoscar Hernández launched a solo shot to left — his fourth of the playoffs — tying the game. Just moments later, Kiké Hernández singled and scored on an Andy Pages double, putting L.A. ahead 2-1.
Pages had been mired in a deep slump (1-for-27) but came through with a clutch hit into the right-field corner.
In the sixth, Muncy delivered the dagger — a towering solo homer off Brewers ace Freddy Peralta that extended the Dodgers’ lead to 3-1. Shohei Ohtani, struggling at the plate in recent games, chipped in with an RBI single in the seventh, and Tommy Edman added another in the eighth to seal the win.
Brewers Staggering
After leading the majors with 97 regular-season wins, the Brewers have managed just five hits through the first two games of the NLCS.
“We’ve just got to play better,” said veteran slugger Christian Yelich, who is now 0-for-13 in his last four games. “It’s not an ideal start to the series, by any means.”
Milwaukee manager Pat Murphy remained optimistic despite the odds:
“I understand 90% of teams in this situation don’t come back, but this team’s been counted out before,” Murphy said. “There’s still fight left in us.”
History, however, is not on their side. In MLB history, 24 of the previous 27 teams to win the first two games on the road in a best-of-seven series went on to win the series. The only three teams to overcome such deficits all did so in the World Series: the 1985 Royals, 1986 Mets, and 1996 Yankees.
What’s Next
The series now heads to Los Angeles for Game 3 on Thursday, with the Dodgers poised to take a stranglehold on the NLCS. A win would put them one victory away from returning to the Fall Classic and defending their 2024 championship.
Meanwhile, the Seattle Mariners are up 2-0 in the ALCS against Toronto, marking the first time since 1970 that both LCS road teams won the first two games.
If Yamamoto’s and Snell’s performances are any indication, the Dodgers may not need their shaky bullpen at all. They’re letting dominant starting pitching and timely power hitting do the talking — and it’s working.
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