Greatest playoff pitcher ever? Yoshinobu Yamamoto already in the conversation with stellar postseason résumé
The Dodgers will give the ball to Yamamoto on Monday in Game 2 against the Brewers as they try to even up the NLCS
• 3 min read
The two-time defending champion Dodgers headed to Atlanta last week for Game 3 of the NLDS with the series tied, 1-1. What's more, they had to deal with Braves ace lefty Chris Sale. Then again, the Dodgers were probably never really all that worried. They've been here plenty of times before, but, more importantly, they were sending Yoshinobu Yamamoto to the mound.
Yamamoto will be back on the mound Monday night against the Brewers. The Dodgers again are turning to him after a loss. They trail the Brewers 1-0 in the best-of-seven NLCS.
We've all played that game of "if you had to win one game, who would you want pitching it?" My answer has long been prime Pedro Martinez. If you went strictly on career playoff numbers, though, Yamamoto is climbing the list rather quickly.
In that NLDS Game 3, he struck out 10 in seven innings, only giving up one run.
"It's probably not fair to say that I expect that out of him because that's a really great performance," Dodgers Game 1 starter Tarik Skubal said, via The Athletic. "But it's not surprising at all.
"I personally wanted him going Game 1 just because he's the guy, and I have a lot of respect for everything he's done here, especially in the postseason."
In an era when starters are working short outings in the playoffs more often than not, Yamamoto routinely shuts teams down into the late innings. He threw back-to-back complete games last postseason, first in Game 2 of the NLCS (also against the Brewers) and then in Game 2 of the World Series. He "only" went six innings in Game 6 of the World Series, helping to force a Game 7, then came back in Game 7 to close things down with 2 ⅔ innings in relief, picking up the win in extra innings.
The Dodgers won his postseason debut last week and closed out the Braves the next day. Yamamoto is now 8-1 in 11 playoff appearances. The Dodgers have won 10 of the 11 games in which he's appeared. He gave up five earned runs in three innings in his first career playoff start (Game 1 of the 2024 NLDS), but has a 1.50 ERA in 60 postseason innings since then.
Overall, Yamamoto has a career 2.14 playoff ERA, 0.83 WHIP, and 58 strikeouts over 63 innings. He was named the World Series MVP in 2025 after going 3-0 with a 1.02 ERA and 0.68 WHIP in 17 ⅔ innings in the Fall Classic. That was after he allowed just one run in a complete game in his only NLCS outing. In his last five postseason games, Yamamoto is 5-0 with a 1.07 ERA and 32 strikeouts against only four walks in 33 ⅔ innings. As great as the entire playoff dossier is, he's actually getting better. There's a comfort level out there at this point, given everything he's already accomplished in October (and November).
"He's becoming one of the best pitchers in this stage," Dodgers infielder Miguel Rojas told MLB.com after NLDS Game 3. "Obviously he hasn't won a Cy Young here or hasn't been the best pitcher in the league, but we feel like every time he takes the mound, he's the best pitcher for us. … And I know he will do whatever to help us out."
Yamamoto has pushed his way into rarefied air when we talk about playoff performance. If you think of all-time playoff greats on the mound, who comes to mind? Sandy Koufax? Bob Gibson? Madison Bumgarner? Yamamoto is right there. Among starting pitchers with at least 60 innings pitched in the postseason in the post-integration era, here are the lowest ERAs:
Lowest playoff ERAs
Since 1947 -- minimum 60 innings pitched
- Bob Gibson, 1.89 ERA, 81 IP
- Fernando Valenzuela, 1.98 ERA, 63 ⅔ IP
- Madison Bumgarner, 2.11 ERA, 102 ⅓ IP
- Yoshinobu Yamamoto, 2.14 ERA, 63 IP
- Curt Schilling, 2.23 ERA, 133 ⅓ IP
- Vic Raschi, 2.24 ERA, 60 ⅓ IP
- Zack Wheeler, 2.30 ERA, 74 ⅓ IP
- Ken Holtzman, 2.30 ERA, 70 ⅓ IP
Koufax's career playoff ERA was 0.95, but with just 57 innings pitched, he missed the cutoff I set here. There were also some dominant greats pre-integration, such as Babe Ruth (0.87 ERA in 31 innings) and Christy Mathewson (0.97 ERA in 101 ⅔ innings).
Yamamoto's ledger is far from complete, of course. He'll start in NLCS Game 2, and, if needed, he's lined up to get another start in the series as well -- let alone the World Series. He's also 27 years old, signed through 2035 and playing for a team that makes the playoffs every single season.
Yamamoto is already one of the greatest postseason pitchers in history. And he has the potential to reach even greater heights in the years to come.
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