By Earl Heath | Contributing Sports Writer
The Los Angeles Dodgers resumed play after the All-Star break by taking the first two games of their series against the New York Yankees in the Bronx, highlighted by clutch hitting and dominant pitching.
The Dodgers opened the series with a dramatic 2-1 victory as Max Muncy blasted a two-run home run in the seventh inning off Yankees ace Gerrit Cole.
Making their first appearance at Yankee Stadium since defeating New York in the 2024 World Series, the Dodgers found themselves trailing until Mookie Betts drew Cole’s first walk of the game to open the seventh inning.
With Cole making his 103rd and final pitch of the afternoon, Muncy battled back from an 0-2 count before launching a hanging slider into the second deck in right field. The 416-foot blast, his 18th home run of the season, gave Los Angeles a 2-1 lead.
Cole (3-5) struck out eight over seven innings before surrendering the decisive home run. Yankees manager Aaron Boone visited the mound but elected to leave the former Cy Young Award winner in the game.
Dodgers closer Tanner Scott retired the side in order in the ninth inning to earn his 14th save in 16 opportunities.
Rookie right-hander Roki Sasaki turned in one of his sharper outings of the season, allowing one unearned run on five hits over 5 2/3 innings. Sasaki reached 100 mph with 21 pitches, a significant increase after throwing just 12 pitches at that velocity entering the game. Since May 23, he is 0-2 with a 5.05 ERA in eight starts.
Yamamoto Goes the Distance
The Dodgers completed the series victory Sunday behind a masterful performance from Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who threw a complete game in an 8-2 win over the Yankees.
Yamamoto retired 21 of the first 23 batters he faced through seven innings. The only blemishes during that stretch were a fourth-inning solo home run by Trent Grisham and a seventh-inning leadoff double by Ben Rice, who was left stranded.
He allowed another run in the eighth after a sun-aided double eluded center fielder Andy Pages.
The Dodgers backed Yamamoto with timely offense. Shohei Ohtani delivered an RBI double and Freddie Freeman added a run-scoring single during a three-run third inning. In the fifth, Tommy Edman was hit by a pitch before Pages followed with an RBI double that chased Yankees starter Cam Schlittler from the game.
Los Angeles broke the contest open with five runs against reliever Jake Bird in the eighth inning. Edman capped the rally with a two-run double. Following his two-hit performance, Edman is batting .351 with a .429 on-base percentage and a .486 slugging percentage, along with a 157 wRC+, in 24 games since returning from the injured list.
At press time, the Dodgers owned a 64-38 record and held an 11½-game lead over the Arizona Diamondbacks in the National League West.