Los Angeles Dodgers star Yoshinobu Yamamoto has risen to the highest tier of MLB starting pitchers, leaving at least a handful of franchises wondering why they didn’t pursue him more aggressively in 2023. In Saturday’s Game 2 of the World Series, Yamamoto pulled off his second-consecutive complete game victory this playoffs, allowing four hits and one run across 105 pitches to a Toronto Blue Jays lineup that entered the game scorching hot. Yoshinobu Yamamoto, by the numbers:9 innings4 hits1 run0 walks8 strikeouts105 pitches73 strikes17 swings and misses11 groundouts3 flyoutsThere are pitchers who can do everything. Yamamoto is one. The splitter, the four-seam, the curve. All of it worked. Kaibutsu.— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) October 26, 2025 Now, Toronto’s momentum has been completely halted entering Game 3 at Dodger Stadium, thanks to Yamamoto. Per Stathead’s Katie Sharp, Yamamoto is now just the sixth pitcher in MLB history to pitch back-to-back games in a single playoffs with nine-plus innings pitched, four hits or fewer allowed, and one run or fewer allowed, joining Steve Blass (1971), Jim Lonborg (1967), Sandy Koufax (1965), Orval Overall (1908), and Christy Mathewson (1905). Story continues below advertisement Back-to-back games in a single postseason with:✅9+ IP✅4 Hits or fewer allowed✅1 Run or fewer allowedYoshinobu Yamamoto (2025)Steve Blass (1971)Jim Lonborg (1967)Sandy Koufax (1965)Orval Overall (1908)Christy Mathewson (1905)— Katie Sharp (@SharpStats17) October 26, 2025 With Yamamoto looking like one of the five best starting pitchers in baseball lately, fans of big-market teams that had a chance to bid on Yamamoto in 2023 are kicking themselves. While it might seem like Yamamoto to LA was a foregone conclusion, nothing is stopping some the team’s richest franchises from outbidding the Dodgers for a given player. Story continues below advertisement I really wish the Yankees offered Yamamoto $326 million to actually test his desire to be in LA. They didn’t even try to match. Such a big miss from them to not push the issue.— Randy Wilkins (@pamsson) October 26, 2025 It’s fruitless to some extent to keep wondering about what could have been with Yamamoto. The 27-year-old is locked in with LA for the long haul, and he’s positioned to be a cornerstone of a developing dynasty for the Dodgers in the years to come.