Game 6 and Game 7 of the World Series aren't supposed be won by the same pitcher when that guy is a starter.
Don't tell that to the Los Angeles Dodgers' $325 million superstar Yoshinobu Yamamoto. He just won both, an unintentional homage to the 6-7 meme taking over the viral parts of social media.
The feat almost makes what he did in Game 2 of the NLCS and Game 2 of the World Series look tame. On both of those nights, Yamamoto threw a complete game, and neither had much baserunner action.
That makes things look easy.
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Usually, things are quite a bit more difficult.
Except not for Yamamoto, not in these playoffs.
On Friday night in Game 6 in Toronto, he went six innings, allowing just one run. And the Dodgers won to force a Game 7.
So on the Saturday of the game, Yamamoto got some pregame throwing in. He expressed his interest in taking the mound in a conversation with manager Dave Roberts. And then he waited for the phone to ring.
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The Dodgers could've played it safer and not risked it.
But after starters Shohei Ohtani, Tyler Glasnow and Blake Snell all pitched already in Game 7, Yamamoto was the most-trusted arm remaining for Roberts. As it turned out, Roberts needed 2.2 innings out of Yamamoto to get the Dodgers through the finish line. And evidently, he had enough.
At that point, it didn't matter that Yamamoto was on no days rest. It didn't even matter that Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Led off the game's final half inning with a double. The Dodgers had a World Series to win, and on this run, Yamamoto has always found a way.
So there he was on the mound, inducing a ground-ball double play to end it and ignite the celebrations. As it turns out, the World Series MVP deserved to finish off the postseason himself.
Additional World Series updates:
- Andy Pages secured the most crucial catch of his career, ensuring the World Series victory.
- Bo Bichette confesses he considered departing Toronto following the World Series.
- Clayton Kershaw's retirement is just about here
- Will Smith's unlikely World Series streak continues for his namesake
- Ernie Clement with the most prolific hitting postseason ever
- World Series Game 7 reminds us why we love sports