The Los Angeles Dodgers destroyed the Los Angeles Angels on Saturday, June 6, with nine runs being scored in the first inning for an easy win.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto was pristine, allowing just two hits, one of which came from a bunt, another that was a hard-hit line drive to center field that hit Andy Pages’ glove but bounced out.
The run that came on that play would be the only one that Yamamoto would allow.
He went eight full innings, racking up four strikeouts, a low total for the Japanese pitcher, but he created a ton of soft contact.
Yamamoto’s ERA on the season fell to 2.68 after his start, putting him right on track to enter the Cy Young race with another handful of these outings, ideally with more strikeouts.
Cristopher Sanchez, Jacob Misiorski, and Shohei Ohtani are setting such a high bar that Yamamoto has to achieve an even higher gear, which he definitely has — as evident by his 2025 postseason run.
The Dodgers’ offense woke up
The Dodgers have been inconsistent in punishing pitching mistakes this season, with a tendency to go into deep, prolonged slumps.
After a rough Friday night offensively, there were concerns about how the offense would respond, but right away, they made it clear that it was a one-night thing.
Shohei Ohtani reached base twice in the first inning, including a two-run home run, while Andy Pages also went deep with his own 2-run shot. Ryan Ward hit a two-run double, and Alex Freeland also scored a run for the team.
The Dodgers went on cruise control for the rest of the game, failing to put up another run, but they did all that they needed to do in the first.
With two straight wins, the Dodgers have the chance for a season sweep against the Angels on Sunday. The Angels went 6-0 against their citymates last season, but the Dodgers can flip the script this year and assert themselves as the dominant regular-season squad.
