MILWAUKEE — When Tommy Edman ripped an RBI single into right field to give the Dodgers Leading 5–1 in the eighth inning in Game 2 of the NLCSthe crowd at American Family Field fell silent. One of the most tense atmospheres in baseball this postseason was neutralized as home fans watched their team get bulldozed by the defending World Series champions.
Because that's what the Dodgers can do to an opponent.
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The Dodgers entered this NLCS as heavy favorites against the Brewers, who had the best regular season record in baseball. And in the first two games of the series, Los Angeles shows why many thought they were a contending heavyweight destined to return to the World Series for a second straight season.
When Yoshinobu Yamamoto struck out Andrew Vaughn in the ninth inning on Tuesday to complete the Dodgers' first complete game of the year and give Los Angeles a commanding 2-0 NLCS lead.It was a prime example of Los Angeles' dominance over Milwaukee. And the next thing Blake Snell's eight-inning gem in Monday's Game 1it was a clear sign that Los Angeles would be a tough ride for everyone.
“When your most talented pitchers can get the most outs, then you're in a good position,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said of his starting rotation. “Right now, all four guys are in good condition. Physically, they're healthy. And you feel good when those guys start the game and push them. They're ready for it.”
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For much of the 2025 regular season, the Dodgers' biggest question was their starting pitching, and much of the time it was more about health than performance. As talented as Los Angeles' rotation was on paper, it didn't matter if the hurlers couldn't stay on the mound.
But over the course of August and September, the team's rotation came into shape as Snell, Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow and Shohei Ohtani finally recovered at the same time. And then everything fell into place.
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“Our starting pitching last time – you guys would know better – seven, eight weeks lasted… I don't know if you can write enough words about our starting pitching. It really was amazing,” first baseman Freddie Freeman said after the game.
[Get more L.A. news: Dodgers team feed]
Indeed, after Snell's historic performance in Game 1 of the NLCS, it was Yamamoto's turn to spin a gem in Game 2. The Dodgers right-hander started his outing much differently than Snell, as he surrendered the first homer to Brewers star Jackson Churio on his first pitch of the game. But Homer did something to Yamamoto, and he immediately locked himself up.
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“I regret that home run,” Yamamoto said later. “But I reset my mind and then just focused on following through with my suggestions.”
From that point on, Yamamoto was on fire, allowing just two more hits and recording all 27 strikeouts. The Dodgers right-hander retired the final 14 batters he faced and became the first Los Angeles starter to pitch a complete game in the postseason since Jose Lima in the 2004 NLDS. And unlike Snell, who used strikeouts to throw out Brewers batters, the Japanese star did his job on the ground. He had 15 strikeouts in the game, allowing him to time pitches effectively.
“I just heard that this is the first time in eight years that someone has thrown a complete game in the postseason,” Yamamoto said correctly, after striking out seven. “[It] What was great for me was that I established my rhythm and then dictated the pace based on the game.”
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The duo of Snell and Yamamoto, who lead the Dodgers' rotation, single-handedly shut down the Brewers' offense. Over the two games, they threw a combined 17 innings while allowing one run on four hits with just one walk and 16 strikeouts. They are the first pair of teammates to throw eight or more innings in consecutive playoff starts since Madison Bumgarner and Tim Lincecum in Games 4 and 5 of the 2010 World Series.
“We were chasing a lot more than we've been chasing all year,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said after the game about his lineup's approach in the first two games of the series. “We were the best in baseball without chasing them. These pitchers brought out the worst in us.”
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Dodgers catcher Will Smith, who caught both gems, said: “The last two nights have been spectacular. Probably the best two games in a row I've ever seen.”
The Dodgers duo's dominance in the postseason has been praised, and deservedly so. They even left another Dodgers arm very familiar with greatness on the mound in awe.
“Both him and Snell both have multiple pitches where they want in the zone,” Clayton Kershaw said after Game 2. “It's really hard to cover. You can't cover [Yamamoto's] split, twisted, sinker, milling, four-seam. You just can't cover it all. And the same thing with Blake last night, you can't hide his changeup, slider, curveball, fastball, when he puts it where he wants it.
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“Their technique is incredible and they are able to maintain it throughout the game and their team doesn't suffer the entire game. They don't miss a beat.”
At this point in October, the biggest difference between the Dodgers and other teams is quite simple. To beat the Dodgers, opponents must be at their best. But the truth is, the Dodgers can't beat these teams.
Because even though Los Angeles is two wins away from another World Series, this team hasn't played its best in the postseason.
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But if the Dodgers continue to get the same level of starting pitching from Snell, Yamamoto, Glasnow and Ohtani, who will start Games 3 and 4 respectively, nothing else will matter. It wasn't their offense that left Ohtani going cold at the plate. Not their bullpen, which is nowhere near as reliable as it has been in years past. Nothing.
The scary question for the Brewers as the series heads back to Los Angeles, and for the two teams left on the American League side, is this: What happens if the Dodgers find other gear?
“It's very hard to say that the pitching can go up more than what they're doing,” said Max Munchy, who scored the win Tuesday. “But I know from our point of view offensively there are still some things we can take advantage of.”
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WITH Game 3 is set for Thursday at Dodger Stadium.Milwaukee is on the ropes and will need to find some momentum on the road after losing its home-field advantage. They'll have to win two of three at Dodger Stadium to extend the series and send it back to Milwaukee. And to do this, they first of all need to produce more insults.
Because if the Brewers are going to compete for the National League pennant, two runs in two games won't be enough. Not against most teams and especially not against these Dodgers.
