Bradford DoolittleOct 14, 2025, 11:21 PM ETCloseMLB writer and analyst for ESPN.com Former NBA writer and analyst for ESPN.com Been with ESPN since 2013
Dodgers defeat Brewers to take 2-0 NLCS lead (1:25)Yoshinobu Yamamoto tosses a complete game as the Dodgers take a 2-0 lead in the NLCS with a win over the Brewers in Game 2. (1:25)
MILWAUKEE — The Los Angeles Dodgers’ dominant starting pitching through two games of the National League Championship Series puts Game 3 starter Tyler Glasnow in a tough spot.
So how can Glasnow top that? Go 10 innings? At this point, anything seems possible for a starting rotation that is carrying the Dodgers on their way to become what would be the first repeat champion since the New York Yankees won three straight World Series from 1998 to 2000.
“It’s been incredible,” said Dodgers catcher Will Smith, who has had the best vantage point in the house for the rotation’s run. “It’s probably the two best back-to-back games pitched ever, that I’ve seen. Just glad they’re on our side.”
The Brewers did not threaten the rest of the way, as Yamamoto gave up only two more hits and recorded the Dodgers’ first postseason complete game since José Lima in 2004 by striking out Andrew Vaughn to end it.
The last postseason complete game belonged to the Houston Astros’ Justin Verlander in a 2017 win against the Yankees in that season’s American League Championship Series.
Yamamoto’s gem comes one night after Snell shut down the Brewers for eight innings in Game 1, which means the Dodgers’ bullpen has had to cover only one inning so far in the series.
“I’m really glad because [Dodgers manager Dave Roberts] and the people trust me out there,” Yamamoto said. “As a player, I thought that was great.”
“If you look at the construction of our roster currently, the strength is starting pitching,” Roberts said. “When you can have your most talented pitchers get the most outs, then you’re in a good spot.”
The Dodgers’ rotation has a 1.38 ERA over eight postseason games, seven of them wins. That number is a minuscule 0.53 so far against the Brewers, whose athletic young lineup has so far looked helpless.
“Those pitchers were as dominant as two pitchers have been,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said. “We chased way more than we’ve chased all year. We’ve been the best in baseball at not chasing. These pitchers brought out the worst in us.”
During an era in which quick hooks, openers and frequent pitching changes have become hallmarks of postseason baseball, the Dodgers are turning back the clock. The back-to-back starts of eight innings or more are the first in the playoffs since San Francisco did it in 2010. That Giants team went on to win the World Series.
The really bad news for Milwaukee is that it’s not going to get any easier at Dodger Stadium. Glasnow, the Game 3 starter, has put up 7⅔ scoreless innings during L.A.’s playoff run. Looming in Game 4 is Shohei Ohtani, who posted a quality start and struck out nine in his first career playoff start in Game 1 of the division series against the Philadelphia Phillies.
The Brewers surprised many by posting baseball’s best record during the regular season and earning the top seed in the playoffs. But they’ve come upon a rampaging Dodgers squad that is looking the part of a team planning to win another championship.
“Our entire team is playing the best baseball we’ve played all year,” Roberts said. “The focus, the concentration level is at the highest. We’re peaking at the right time.”
Dodgers defeat Brewers to take 2-0 NLCS lead (1:25)Yoshinobu Yamamoto tosses a complete game as the Dodgers take a 2-0 lead in the NLCS with a win over the Brewers in Game 2. (1:25)
Yoshinobu Yamamoto tosses a complete game as the Dodgers take a 2-0 lead in the NLCS with a win over the Brewers in Game 2. (1:25)
CloseMLB writer and analyst for ESPN.com Former NBA writer and analyst for ESPN.com Been with ESPN since 2013
Brewers relievers, by contrast, have logged 11⅓ innings in the series.
That history is almost as daunting for the Brewers as the Dodgers’ pitching.
“I know we’re going to be better and put some things together,” Chourio said.