NEW YORK (AP) — Yoshinobu Yamamoto pitched a four-hitter for his first regular-season complete game in 66 major-league starts, and the Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the New York Yankees 8-2 in the opener of their day-night doubleheader Sunday.
A dominant complete game from Yamamoto over the Yankees!pic.twitter.com/fpUqseAfWv
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) July 19, 2026
Shohei Ohtani hit an RBI double in the third inning and an RBI single in the eighth, when the Dodgers sent 11 batters to the plate and broke it open with five runs charged to Yankees reliever Jake Bird.
Teoscar Hernández had an RBI double, Tommy Edman delivered a two-run single and Freddie Freeman added a sacrifice fly to go with his RBI single that knocked in Ohtani with two outs in the third.
Edman scored three times from the No. 9 spot in the batting order. Andy Pages blooped an RBI double that chased Cam Schlittler (9-6), who struck out eight and walked none but needed 98 pitches to get through 4 1/3 innings.
After a rainout Saturday night, an efficient Yamamoto (10-6) easily outpitched Schlittler in a marquee matchup of All-Stars. The 2025 World Series MVP struck out seven and walked none, throwing 69 of his 102 pitches for strikes in becoming the 11th major leaguer to toss a complete game this season.
The right-hander pitched two complete games in the postseason last year, a three-hitter against Milwaukee in Game 2 of the National League Championship Series and a four-hitter against Toronto in Game 2 of the World Series.
The previous pitcher to throw a nine-inning complete game against the Yankees in the regular season was Miami right-hander Sandy Alcantara in August 2023.
New York has been outscored 65-24 while losing nine of its last 10 home games.
Los Angeles has won the first two games in a highly anticipated three-game set, its first visit to the Bronx since winning the 2024 World Series. The two-time defending champion Dodgers improved to a major league-best 63-36 while New York (54-44) dropped to 18-21 without captain Aaron Judge, who is sidelined by a fractured rib.
Yamamoto retired his first nine batters on 28 pitches before Trent Grisham homered into the second deck in right field on a 2-0 fastball leading off the fourth.
Anthony Volpe had an RBI single in the eighth after Jazz Chisholm Jr. was gifted a leadoff double when Pages lost his flyball to center in the sun.
New York also lost two popups in the sun that dropped untouched.
Between games, the Yankees optioned Bird to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and recalled right-hander Kervin Castro.
Up next
In the nightcap, Los Angeles scheduled RHP Will Klein as the opener in a bullpen game. LHP Ryan Yarbrough was set to be the opener for New York.
___
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
