Yoshinobu Yamamoto struck out nine and pitched into the seventh inning, while the Los Angeles Dodgers strung together timely hits in a decisive sixth inning to defeat the Cincinnati Reds 8-4 on Wednesday night at Dodger Stadium. The win completed a two-game sweep in the National League Wild Card Series and sent the defending champions back to the Division Series.
Oddsmakers had the Dodgers listed as -165 moneyline favorites at home, with the Reds going off at +140. The over/under was set at 8.5 runs, and the teams combined for 12, pushing the total comfortably over.
Yamamoto, making his first postseason appearance in front of a sellout crowd of 50,465, gave Los Angeles the steady start it needed after Cincinnati briefly seized momentum. The Reds opened the game with two runs in the first inning on a two-out single from Sal Stewart that skipped past first baseman Freddie Freeman. Yamamoto, however, quickly settled in, retiring 13 consecutive batters and working out of a bases-loaded, no-outs jam in the sixth. In that sequence, Austin Hays grounded into a fielder’s choice, and Mookie Betts fired a strike home for a force out before Yamamoto struck out Stewart and Elly De La Cruz to escape.
The right-hander exited in the seventh inning after throwing a career-high 113 pitches, allowing two runs on four hits and two walks. His performance drew two separate ovations, marking one of the most memorable outings of his rookie season in Major League Baseball.
Offensively, Los Angeles leaned on consistent production throughout the lineup rather than sheer power after hitting five home runs in Game 1. The Dodgers left runners on base in the first five innings but eventually broke through. Kiké Hernández drove in a run with a double, and Miguel Rojas followed with an RBI single down the first-base line to chase Reds starter Zack Littell, who was tagged for three runs in fewer than five innings.
Shohei Ohtani snapped an 0-for-9 skid in the sixth inning with an RBI single off reliever Nick Martinez to push the Dodgers ahead. Betts then lined a double down the third-base line before Teoscar Hernández doubled home two more runs, stretching the lead to 7-2. Betts finished with four hits, including three doubles, tying a franchise postseason record for most doubles in a game.
The Dodgers’ bullpen once again faced turbulence in the late innings. Emmet Sheehan surrendered two runs in the eighth, and Alex Vesia entered with the tying run at the plate. Vesia ultimately froze TJ Friedl with a called third strike to end the threat, preserving an 8-4 advantage. Rookie Roki Sasaki closed the game in the ninth with two strikeouts on pitches reaching 101 mph.
Los Angeles now advances to its 20th Division Series in franchise history and 13th consecutive appearance, where it will face the Philadelphia Phillies beginning Saturday at Citizens Bank Park. The two clubs last met in the postseason in 2009, when Philadelphia eliminated Los Angeles in the National League Championship Series.
Cincinnati, meanwhile, saw its season end after a brief postseason run. The Reds’ only lead of the series came in the opening inning Wednesday, their first in a playoff game since 2012, but it was quickly erased by the Dodgers’ balanced offense and Yamamoto’s steady pitching.
