Dodgers' Yoshinobu Yamamoto Makes MLB History With Rare Stat After NLDS Win vs. Braves

Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto's impressive run of postseason dominance continued Tuesday in a 3-1 road win over the Atlanta Braves in Game 3 of the National League Division Series.

According to OptaStats, Yamamoto became the first pitcher in MLB history to earn a win, while also allowing one or fewer runs and one or fewer walks in five consecutive playoff appearances:

Predicting the Outcome for Each MLB Team's Top 2026-27 Free Agent

Yamamoto was a dominant force once again Tuesday, allowing just four hits and one run, while walking one and striking out 10 over seven innings.

The Japanese ace's lone blemish came in the fifth inning when Mauricio Dubón scored on an RBI groundout by Braves catcher Drake Baldwin.

Yamamoto, 28, signed a 12-year, $325 million dollar contract with the Dodgers in December 2023 after starring overseas for several years, and he has proved to be worth the investment.

He won the World Series in each of his first two MLB seasons, while also being named World Series MVP last year.

Since giving up five runs in his first career playoff start, Yamamoto has only given up more than one run in two of his past 10 playoff outings, and he has not allowed more than three runs during that span.

In last year's tightly contested World Series against the Toronto Blue Jays, Yamamoto earned three wins over two starts and one relief appearance, collectively giving up just 10 hits and two earned runs in 17.2 innings pitched.

That form has carried over to the 2026 postseason, and it came at the perfect time for the Dodgers.

After beating the Braves in Game 1, L.A. lost Game 2 of the NLDS despite having a huge pitching advantage with Blake Snell facing an opener.

That win gave Atlanta a ton of momentum, especially given the knowledge that their ace, Chris Sale, was lined up to start Game 3 at home.

Sale didn't have his best stuff, though, allowing seven hits and three earned runs via a pair of home runs, while striking out seven over five innings.

He was ultimately out-dueled by Yamamoto, which is something that has become commonplace for any pitcher that has faced him during playoff baseball over the past couple of seasons.