Make California Post a Preferred Source Give Yoshinobu Yamamoto three runs of support and you might as well start shaking hands with your opponent.
The Dodgers ace added another ridiculous chapter to his growing postseason résumé Tuesday night, overpowering the Braves in a 3-1 victory in Game 3 of the NLDS at Truist Park and putting Los Angeles one win away from another trip to the NLCS on their quest to become the first National League team in history ever to three-peat as World Series champions.
Yamamoto struck out a postseason career-high 10 over seven innings, allowing just one run and one walk while silencing Atlanta on the road.
And in doing so, he went somewhere no pitcher in baseball history had gone before.
Los Angeles Dodgers’ Yoshinobu Yamamoto throws to the Atlanta Braves during the third inning in Game 3 of baseball’s National League Division Series, Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2026, in Atlanta. AP Photo/Brynn Anderson Sign up for the California Morning Report newsletter The biggest news, opinion and culture shaping California right now.
Yamamoto became the first pitcher in MLB history to earn a victory in five consecutive postseason appearances without allowing more than one run or one walk in any of them.
As if that wasn’t absurd enough, all five victories came on the road.
October is supposed to expose pitchers, just ask future Hall of Famer Clayton Kershaw or Yamamoto’s counterpart in Game 3 in Braves’ ace Chris Sale.
But Yamamoto seems to be at his best when the lights are the brightest, and his latest masterpiece also extended another staggering streak.
According to the MLB broadcast, Yamamoto is now 34-0, including the postseason, when his team provides him at least three runs of support while he’s on the mound.
The Braves briefly threatened in the fifth, loading the bases and scratching across their only run on a Drake Baldwin groundout. Yamamoto simply slammed the door afterward, finishing seven innings and leaving Atlanta’s offense looking every bit as uncomfortable as the numbers suggest.
The Dodgers have now won 10 of Yamamoto’s 11 postseason appearances, with the only blemish coming last season in Game 3 of the NLDS at Dodger Stadium against the Philadelphia Phillies.
Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto stands on the mound against the Atlanta Braves during the first inning in game three of the NLDS for the 2026 MLB Playoffs at Truist Park in Cumberland, Georgia, Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2026. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect Baseball fans learned during the World Series last season that Yamamoto is automatic when his back is against the wall and the Dodgers are thankful for it.
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