Yoshinobu Yamamoto pitched a complete game four-hitter as the Los Angeles Dodgers scored three times off Cam Schlittler and pulled away for an 8-2 victory over the host New York Yankees in the opener of a day-night doubleheader on Sunday afternoon.
Yamamoto (10-6) allowed two runs in his first career regular-season complete game. He tossed a pair of complete games last postseason in Game 2 of the NLCS against Milwaukee and Game 2 of the World Series at Toronto.
Yamamoto struck out seven and walked none. He threw first-pitch strikes to 21 of 30 hitters.
The right-hander joined Felix Hernandez (2010) as the second visitor to throw a nine-inning complete game in the regular season at the current Yankee Stadium, which opened in 2009.
Shohei Ohtani hit an RBI double off Schlittler (9-6) after manager Dave Roberts said the two-way star would miss his next start on the mound in Philadelphia on Wednesday due to left knee irritation. Freddie Freeman hit an RBI single that scored Ohtani and Andy Pages contributed an RBI double before the Dodgers added five runs in the eighth.
Teoscar Hernandez chipped in an RBI double, Tommy Edman hit a two-run single and Ohtani had a run-scoring single off reliever Jake Bird. Freeman contributed a bases-loaded sacrifice fly in the inning off Camilo Doval.
Schlittler allowed three runs on six hits in 4 1/3 innings. He struck out the first four hitters and eight overall, but the Dodgers constantly reached deep counts and fouled several pitches off to run up his pitch count to 98.
Trent Grisham homered in the third and Anthony Volpe had an RBI single in the eighth as the Yankees dropped to 18-21 since losing Aaron Judge to a fractured right rib.
The Dodgers went ahead in the third when Edman singled and Ohtani followed with a double to the right-center-field gap. After Schlittler retired Pages, Freeman lined a two-strike single to center field to easily score Ohtani.
Edman started the fifth by getting grazed on the arm and scored on Pages’ double that hit the right field line, chasing Schlittler.
Los Angeles capitalized on third baseman Ryan McMahon losing Max Muncy’s foul ball in the sun as the third baseman went on to walk. Kyle Tucker followed with a single and Hernandez doubled down the right field line for a 4-1 lead.
After Dalton Rushing walked, Edman and Ohtani followed with singles to right field to extend the margin to 7-1 before the Yankees inserted Doval and Freeman lifted a fly ball to center.
