Yamamoto Sinks Yanks; Bird & Doval Blow Up Close Game. LA 8 NY 2

July 19, 2026 paperbacklou 2026 0
Trent Grisham breaks up Yamamoto no hitter in 4th with solo HR.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto pitched a 9-inning masterpiece — a complete-game 4-hitter, striking out 7 and walking 1 — to carry the Dodgers over the Yankees 8-2 on a beautiful sunny, Sunday afternoon at Yankee Stadium — the 1st game of a day-night doubleheader.

It was a 3-1 game in the 8th when Jake Bird and Camilo Doval came in with gasoline — allowing 5 runs between them to make it an 8-1 game.

Cam Schlittler started for the Yanks and started off great before losing steam — giving up 2 runs in the 3rd and another in the 5th. Tim Hill and Angel Chivili pitched 2.2 shutout innings, before handing the ball to Bird.

Trent Grisham hit a HR off Yamamoto to break up a no hitter in the 4th and make it a 2-1 game, LA. Yamamoto then retired 9 in a row — and was pitching a 1-hitter into the 7th.

Anthony Volpe singled in Jazz Chisholm Jr., who had doubled — in the 8th off Yamamoto for the Yanks’ other run.

“Ahead, command, mixing four-seam/sinker/cutter, and the splitter was really good,” said manager Aaron Boone afterwards about Yamamoto “Introduced the cutter 2nd time through. But just commanded it. And (he) had a lead so we were behind. When you’re strike throwing as well as he is with the stuff that he has, makes it tough. Obviously a tough morning for us.”

NY drops to 54-44 but remain 2 games back of Tampa, which lost again to Boston. The Red Sox have won 13 in a row and are now 6 games back. LA improves to 63-36.

1. Schlittler Starts Off Good — then Melts

Cam Schlittler started off well — striking out the side in the top of the 1st — Shohei Ohtani, Andy Pages, and Freddie Freeman.

Schlittler then struck out Mookie Betts to start the 2nd, allowed a double to Max Muncey, but got a lineout — on a great play by Anthony Volpe at 2nd — and foul out and was looking good in his pitchers’ duel against Yamamoto.

But Schlittler ran into trouble under the blazing sun in the 3rd. He struck out the first batter, but then allowed a slap single to Tommy Edman, and an RBI double to right to Ohtani for a 1-0 game.

Schillter got the 2nd out, but Freddie Freeman singled in a run for a 2-0 lead.

Schlittler threw a shutout 4th inning, but in the 5th — hit 2nd baseman Tommy Edman on an 0-2 pitch, got a groundout to move the runner, then allowed an RBI double to Andy Pages for a 3-1 Dodger lead — and was relieved at 98 pitches.

2. Yamamoto Throws a Masterpiece

Yoshinobu Yamamoto caused a bidding war between the Dodgers and the Yankees in the winter of 2024 — that the Dodgers won. Yamamoto has gone 7-2 3.00, 12-8 2.49, and 9-6 2.85 coming into this game this year.

It was a much-anticipated pitching matchup between he and Cam Schlittler — and was a pitchers’ duel from the start.

Yamamoto won.

He throws a 95- to 96-MPH fastball but makes his living off a FILTHY 90-MPH splitter that he throws a lot of the time. He also mixes in a nasty 80-MPH curveball, a 91-MPH cutter, and a 95-MPH sinker.

3. Grisham Breaks Up No Hitter with HR in 4th

Yamamoto had a no hitter going in the 4th when Trent Grisham led off by taking a cutter and a splitter for balls, then ripping a 94-MPH four-seam fastball for a HR to right and a 2-1 game.

4. Hill and Chivilli Pitch Great

Tim Hill relieved Schlittler with 1 out and a runner on 2nd in the 5th — NY down 3-1. He got Freeman to ground out, intentionally walked Mookie Betts, then got Max Muncy to ground out to end the inning.

Hill got the first 2 outs of the 6th — then walked a batter and was relieved by Angel Chivilli.

Chivilli again looked impressive — this time out he threw 4 straight 90-MPH changeups with his easy-motion to Edmund — striking him out with a 91-MPH slider to end the 6th.

Then in the 7th he got Ohtani to fly out on a changeup, then showed a 97-MPH fastball to Andy Pages before striking him out on a changeup, then struck out Freddie Freeman — showing him changeups and sliders but getting him on an easy-motion 99-MPH fastball. Yowsa.

5. Coke and Doval Pitch Crappy

Unfortunately Chivilli couldn’t pitch the rest of the game.

Jake Bird came in for the top of the 8th — and he struck out Betts to start the inning, but walk (by Max Muncy), single (by Kyle Tucker), ground-rule double (by Teoscar Hernandez), walk, RBI single (by Edman) and RBI single (by Ohtani) later it was 7-1 Dodgers.

Out went Jake Bird and in came Camilo Doval.

Doval hit Andy Pages with a pitch, allowed a sac fly to Freeman, and walked Betts before getting the final out.

6. Volpe Singles In Jazz in 8th

Ben Rice doubled to lead off the 7th but was stranded — Yamamoto got foul out, fly out, and line out to end the inning.

But Jazz Chisholm Jr. hit a double to lead off the bottom of the 8th, and Anthony Volpe singled him home for an 8-2 game.

But Yamamoto got a double play and lineout to end the 8th, and pitched a 1-2-3 inning in the 9th for the old ballgame.

The Boxscore

https://www.espn.com/mlb/boxscore/_/gameId/401897386

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