LOS ANGELES — Yoshinobu Yamamoto has been looking for something.
Since his return to the Dodgers on Sept. 10 after a stint on the injured list due to a right rotator cuff strain, it has been a mixed bag. The right-hander has had a few good starts, a few bad starts and a few starts in between. When October began, the team retained hope that he’d round into form as the postseason rolled on.
Going into Game 2 of the World Series, the question for the Dodgers was which version of Yamamoto would they get?
When he handed the ball to manager Dave Roberts on Saturday night, walking off the mound in the seventh inning to a roaring standing ovation from the 52,725 fans at Dodger Stadium, he had answered that question.
The best version.
“Yamamoto, he was made for those moments,” said Teoscar Hernández, who homered in the Dodgers’ 4-2 victory in Game 2. “He was doing it in Japan before he got here, and as soon as he got here, he was doing it here.”
Saturday was Yamamoto’s first time pitching in the World Series, but against the Yankees, who were finalists to sign him last winter, he looked like a seasoned vet. For a guy who has been viewed as an ace since he was 18 and has pitched on the world stage for Team Japan, looking poised in big moments might be in his DNA.
“It was a mixed feeling coming into the game,” Yamamoto said afterward. “Because I was really looking forward to it and happy. After I felt that, I started trying to focus.”
The Yankees battled the Dodgers’ rookie in the first inning, grinding at-bats and making him throw additional pitches. After he tossed 21 in the first frame, it appeared to be setting up as a short night for Yamamoto.
But what separated his Game 2 outing from other starts he has made since his return from injury was the way he settled into a rhythm. For the first time in October, Yamamoto worked efficiently and got quick outs.
“I gave up a home run [to Juan Soto] and allowed them to tie the game,” Yamamoto said, referring to the only hit he surrendered. “[But] I got run support, and I was able to keep them to zero after that inning.”
In his previous start against the Mets in NLCS Game 4, Yamamoto had his strikeout stuff working, punching out eight in the game. But he wasn’t efficient and made it through just 4 1/3 innings.
Against the Yankees, he was able to put it all together and, following the third-inning solo homer to Soto, lock in. From that moment on, Yamamoto set the Yankees down without much of a…