Stay updated on everything baseball with our morning MLB News & Moments articles. We’ve got you covered to keep you in the know.
What is this sport coming to? A complete game in the World Series? Next thing you will tell me is the game will be stopped to have a musical act perform after a solemn ceremony for those battling cancer. Yeah, all that happened. The complete game was amazing to see. The musical performance was a bit much. Regardless, the World Series is tied and now a best-of-five.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto finishes the first #WorldSeries complete game in ten years (Johnny Cueto, 2015).
Don’t forget to watch every game with the Pitcher List community on Playback!
World Series Wrapup
Two Complete: Yamamoto Goes Distance To Even Series
The complete game by a starting pitcher is going the way of the dodo bird. Especially in the postseason in the age of bullpenning. Just don’t tell Yoshinobu Yamamoto. The Los Angeles Dodgers right-hander did something that hasn’t been done in 24 years, throwing back-to-back complete games in the postseason. Combined with home runs from Will Smith and Max Muncy, Yamamoto shut down a Toronto Blue Jays offense that had been producing at a high level, leading the Dodgers to a 5-1 victory in Game 2 of the World Series. Thanks to Yamamoto, the defending champion Dodgers earned a split on the road and now head home for the next three games.
Using every weapon in his six-pitch arsenal, Yamamoto retired the final 20 batters he faced. He allowed one run on four hits and no walks, striking out eight. This performance followed a three-hit shutout of the Milwaukee Brewers in Game 2 of the NL Championship Series, which was the first postseason complete game since 2017. He joined Curt Schilling of the 2001 Arizona Diamondbacks in going the distance in two straight postseason games. It was the first World Series complete game since Johnny Cueto of the Kansas City Royals did it in Game 2 of the 2015 Fall Classic. He also became the first pitcher to have multiple complete games in the same postseason since Madison Bumgarner of the San Francisco Giants did it in 2014. Yamamoto is also the first Dodger to win back-to-back complete games in the postseason since Orel Hershiser in 1988.
But it didn’t start well for Yamamoto. It took him 23 pitches to get through the first inning. Leading 1-0 on a Smith RBI single up the middle, Yamamoto gave up a leadoff double to George Springer and Nathan Lukes singled to put runners on the corners. But red-hot Vladimir Guerrero Jr. struck out for just the fourth time this postseason, Alejandro Kirk lined out to first and Daulton Varsho struck out looking on a 3-2 curveball as Yamamoto escaped unscathed. From there, Yamamoto only gave up two hits, including a missed popup by first baseman Freddie Freeman. The second of those came in the fourth inning as the Jays scored their lone run. George Springer was hit by a pitch to lead off the fourth and went to third on Guerrero’s smoked single to left. Kirk hit a sacrifice fly to center to tie the game, but that would be it for the Jays’ offense the rest of the night.
Jays starter Kevin Gausman was pretty good, too. Just not Yamamoto good. After Smith’s run-scoring single in the first, Gausman had retired 16 batters to get through the sixth inning. Gausman had lasted 5⅔ in his three postseason starts this year (he also had a one-inning relief appearance in Game 7 of the AL Championship Series). But with Gausman rolling, manager John Schneider rolled the dice and sent Gausman back out to start the seventh. After getting Freeman to line out to center to lead off the seventh, the decision backfired when Smith, the cleanup hitter, drilled a 3-2 four-seamer down for a towering home run down the left-field line to snap the 1-1 tie. Gausman struck out Teoscar Hernández, but then was tagged for another solo homer by Muncy to make it 3-1. That was Gausman’s last pitch. In 6⅔ innings, he yielded three runs on four hits and no walks with six strikeouts. The Dodgers tacked on two runs in the eighth inning on a bases-loaded wild pitch and Smith’s RBI groundout for his third RBI of the game.
But those runs really didn’t matter with the way Yamamoto was pitching. Facing the heart of the Jays’ order in the ninth, he got Guerrero to ground out to first, Kirk lined out to center field on a nice sliding catch by defensive replacement Justin Dean and Varsho popped out to third to finish with his second complete game in his two-year MLB career, both in his last two starts. Yamamoto joins Josh Beckett of the 2003 Florida Marlins to notch the first two complete games of his career in the postseason. Now, the World Series shifts to L.A., with Jays right-hander Max Scherzer, who found the Fountain of Youth in his only postseason appearance this year, squares off with the electric stuff of Dodgers right-hander Tyler Glasnow in Monday’s Game 3.
Set the tone, Will!
— Los Angeles Dodgers (bot) (@dodgersbot.bsky.social) 2025-10-26T00:19:29.000Z
Alejandro Kirk ties this game!#WorldSeries
Vladdy Jr. stays with it, and Kevin Gausman has retired 16 in a row! #WorldSeries
By The Numbers
⚾ This was the first game in postseason history where two pitchers retired at least 17 batters in a row.
⚾ Yoshinobu Yamamoto became the fourth pitcher in postseason history to retire at least the final 20 hitters.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto is the fourth pitcher to retire the last 20+ batters of a postseason game, joining: 1956 WS G5 Don Larsen: 271926 WS G2 Grover Cleveland Alexander: 211915 WS G3 Dutch Leonard: 20h/t @EliasSports
— Sarah Langs (@slangsonsports.bsky.social) 2025-10-26T03:24:58.749Z
⚾ Yamamoto improved to 5-1 in the postseason in his two years with the Dodgers, who are 7-1 when he starts.
⚾ Enrique Hernández has now played in the most postseason games in Dodgers history. His 87 games broke a tie with Justin Turner.
Around The World Series
Barger Back On Couch
If it worked for Game 1, it surely was good enough to do again before Game 2. Addison Barger, who hit the first pinch-hit grand slam in World Series history, revealed Friday that he spent the night before the Series opener sleeping on Jays teammate Davis Schneider’s couch. Not messing with a good thing, Barger returned to the couch after his Game 1 heroics.
Addison Barger woke up on Davis Schneider's pull-out couch again this morning.He snored a bit, #BlueJays sources close to the situation tell me, but at least Pharrell didn't wake them up this morning. Story:www.mlb.com/bluejays/new…
— Keegan Matheson (@keeganmatheson.bsky.social) 2025-10-25T22:38:28.900Z
Bichette Off The Bench
Bo Bichette, the Blue Jays’ starting shortstop who had been out since Sept. 7 with a sprained PCL in his left knee, returned as the starting second baseman for Game 1 of the World Series. But Bichette was not in the starting lineup for Game 2, with Isiah Kiner-Falefa starting at second. Kiner-Falefa pinch-ran for Bichette in the sixth inning and remained in on defense. Manager John Schneider said Bichette felt fine after his first game in nearly two months, but would be coming off the bench in Game 2. Bichette did pinch-hit in Game 2.
Extra Bases
⚾ John Schneider said right-handers Max Scherzer and Shane Bieber would start Games 3 and 4 for the Jays in L.A. The Dodgers had previously announced that right-handers Tyler Glasnow and Shohei Ohtani will go in Games 3 and 4, respectively. Scherzer, a three-time Cy Young Award winner, will become the first pitcher to start World Series games for four teams.
Best Moments From Yesterday
Another Moment For Joe
Jays legend Joe Carter, who hit a World Series-winning walk-off homer in Game 6 in 1993, threw out the ceremonial first pitch.
I Don’t Got It
Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman is very good defensively. He wasn’t on this second-inning popup by Ernie Clement. Somehow, it was ruled a hit.
Freddie Freeman misjudged this one
— Talkin’ Baseball (Bot) (@talkinbaseballbot.bsky.social) 2025-10-26T00:45:06.000Z
Fighting Cancer
Fans, players, coach staff, umpires and others participated in the Stand Up To Cancer campaign that has become a World Series tradition.
We all stand for someone.Tonight, and every night, we join @Mastercard and @SU2C.
A Souvenir
Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy, who caught the game-ending popup, made sure to give Yoshinobu Yamamoto the game ball.
Max Muncy and Freddie Freeman hand the game ball to Yoshinobu Yamamoto 👏
Noteworthy News
Harper Confused Over Dombrowski Comments
Following comments that took talk radio and social media by storm, Philadelphia Phillies star Bryce Harper said it was “disappointing” to hear Dave Dombrowski, the team’s president of baseball operations, question whether the first baseman was still “elite.” Dombrowski said of Harper at his season-ending press conference: Of course, he’s still a quality player. He’s still an All-Star-caliber player. He didn’t have an elite season like he has had in the past. And I guess we only find out if he becomes elite or if he continues to be good.” That only led to radio shows to speculate about Harper’s future with the team, including whether the Phillies would try and trade him this offseason. As a 10-and-5 player, Harper has full no-trade rights.
On Saturday, Harper made his first comments about the situation. “All players get hurt,” Harper said. “I hurt my wrist this year and missed a month. Of course I don’t have full-year numbers. It’s disappointing to hear me being questioned about my contribution to the team. Just really hurt by that notion because I love Philly so much.”
Harper put up a .261/.357/.487 slash line this year with 27 homers and 75 RBIs in 132 games. His batting average represents his lowest since the .260 he put up in his first year in Philadelphia, when he hit 35 homers and drove in 114 in 157 games in 2019.
Manfred Avoids Labor Chatter, Addresses Gambling
While there has already been some heated rhetoric between the union and ownership, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred stayed away from talking about the impending issues that will be at the center of the impending labor negotiations. The deadline to reach a new collective bargaining agreement is a little more than 13 months away, but it is widely expected that the owners will lock out the players, as they did in 2022. The question is: Will it affect the start of the 2027 season and, if so, how much?
In the wake of the NBA scandal that broke this week, Manfred said he is secure with the processes MLB has to “protect the integrity of the game.” He also said the investigation into Cleveland Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis L. Ortiz is “ongoing.” Manfred also noted that he wants to have two expansion teams picked before his term is up in January 2029 and that he expects MLB players to be involved in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
Articles You Should Read
Varsho tries to hit grounders to the pitcher. Dodgers wish he would. — Tyler Kepner, The Athletic
Vlad Sr. rooting for son to win World Series ring for family — Martin Gallegos, MLB.com
Can Rodriguez return to Orioles’ rotation and stay there? — Roch Kubatko, MASN Sports
Four outfielders: Marsee, Caglianone, Carpenter and Crews — Jeff Zimmerman, FanGraphs
