Yushin Yamamoto 10K scored no points to suppress De Grom The Dodgers narrowly beat the Rangers to get the series off to a good start

Dodgers coach Dave Roberts has said that as long as Yushin Yamamoto stays healthy, he should be a strong contender for the Cy Young award this season. The 26-year-old right-handed pitcher proved that there was a point in his action at the Universal Life Stadium on Friday night, when Yamamoto led the Rangers 3-0 with a 10K clean run in seven innings in an epic showdown with two-time Cyon Award winner Jacob deGrom.

The decorated aces have a combined total of five top pitcher awards (two for De Grom and three for Yamamoto). This much-anticipated matchup did not disappoint the audience.

The Dodgers came in before Yamamoto stepped on: Tommy Edman, who had replaced Shohei Ohtani (who was absent due to his wife's labor) as the trailblazer, used his seventh run for the joint Nations League lead this season to blast De Grom's speedball off the wall in the opening inning.

After that, the race went completely into Yamamoto's rhythm. Japan's strong pitcher threw 10 strikeouts in 7 innings, only knocked 5 hits without guarantees, and made 20 short swings to set a new single-game high in his major league career. The Rangers only scored two points in the game, and Yunobu Yamamoto defused all the crises with precise ball control.

De Grom quickly recovered after being bombed in the first game, sending seven strikeouts in seven innings and only hitting three hits and one to the rescue. But in the face of Yamamoto's perfect suppression, this Saiyang famous pitcher could only swallow the defeat helplessly.