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MLB playoffs takeaways: Why Yamamoto is the Most Valuable Dodger

The Los Angeles Dodgers’ postseason dominance continues to hinge on an unexpected star: Yoshinobu Yamamoto. While Shohei Ohtani’s record-breaking $700 million contract dominated headlines, Yamamoto’s quiet but transformative role has gone largely unnoticed—until now.

In three seasons, Yamamoto has appeared in 11 postseason games, with the Dodgers winning 10 of them, including eight victories he earned himself. His latest performance—a career-best 10-strikeout, seven-shutout inning outing—cemented his status as the team’s most reliable arm, especially after Ohtani was relegated to a secondary role in the lineup.

With a 2.00 ERA and 58 strikeouts in 63 postseason innings, Yamamoto’s consistency has been nothing short of heroic, bailing out the Dodgers in critical moments, from a 2024 NLDS comeback to a dominant showing in Toronto’s Game 7 last year. If the Dodgers repeat as World Series champions, Yamamoto’s case for being the greatest postseason pitcher of all time will only grow stronger, era-adjusted stats and all.

Meanwhile, the Dodgers’ high-stakes investments in relievers Tanner Scott and Edwin Díaz have yielded mixed results. Scott, signed to a $72 million deal, has fallen out of favor with manager Dave Roberts, while Díaz—who inked a $69 million contract to address Scott’s shortcomings—struggled with injuries and poor performance before a late-season resurgence.

Díaz’s five scoreless innings in five appearances during the playoffs offer a glimmer of hope, but the team’s reliance on its ace Yamamoto underscores the risks of overvaluing bullpen depth in the postseason.

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