World Series Game 2 score, analysis: Dodgers tie series behind home runs, dominant Yoshinobu Yamamoto start

Yamamoto threw a second straight complete game to carry his team against the Blue Jays in Game 2

The Los Angeles Dodgers even the 2025 World Series at 1-1 with a 5-1 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays in Saturday's Game 2. 

For much of the night, it was a classic pitchers' duel between the two starters -- Kevin Gausman for the host Blue Jays and Yoshinobu Yamamoto for the Dodgers. At one point, Gausman retired 17 straight batters, but it was Yamamoto who owned the night with a second straight postseason masterpiece.

The game remained tied for several innings before Will Smith finally put the Dodgers in front for good in the seventh. From there, Yamamoto kept cruising. 

Now for some takeaways from Game 2 in Toronto. 

Yamamoto spun another gem 

Yamamoto authored a complete game his last time on the mound, which came in Game 2 of the NLCS against the Brewers. In that ace performance, he allowed one run on three hits with seven strikeouts and one walk. In this Game 2, he was just as suffocating: 

Of Yamamoto's 105 pitches, 73 went for strikes. It was a night of both dominance and balance for the right-hander, who's in just his second season in MLB. He earned 17 swinging strikes in Game 2 and just as many called strikes. His fastball, which he threw 25 times, averaged 96.2 mph. His curve, which he threw 23 times, barely cracked 80 mph on average. In all, Yamamoto called on six different pitch types.

Early on, it didn't seem like this kind of outing was in the offing. That's because the Jays in the bottom of the first forced Yamamoto to throw 23 pitches. He kept runs off the board, though, with perhaps his best -- or at least most aesthetically pleasing -- pitch of the night, a perfectly placed curveball to freeze Daulton Varsho and end the early threat: 

From there, Yamamoto dominated. He permitted a pair of baserunners in the third but then proceeded to retire 20 batters in a row to end it, including striking out the side in the eighth. 

In again going the distance, Yamamoto became the first pitcher to record consecutive complete games in the postseason since Curt Schilling, then of the Arizona Diamondbacks, in 2001. Yamamoto's is also the first World Series complete game since Johnny Cueto of the Kansas City Royals in 2015. There's also this: 

In an era when starting-pitcher usage and workloads continue to be whittled down, Yamamoto's throwback efforts this postseason become even more impressive.  

The Dodgers powered up in the seventh 

When Gausman came out for the top of the seventh, no Dodger had reached base since the first inning. He recorded a loud out on Freddie Freeman, and that bit of hard contact was a hint of things to come. The very next batter, Smith, turned around a full-count fastball in no-doubt fashion: 

Smith missed the Wild Card Series against the Reds because of a hairline hand fracture he suffered earlier in September, but since returning he's done nothing but hit. In this instance, Smith has long been one of the game's best hitters on inside pitches, and that was very much in evidence here. 

Soon thereafter, Max Muncy became the first lefty batter to hit an opposite-field home run off Gausman in 2025: 

Muncy was already the Dodgers' franchise leader in postseason home runs, and now he has 15 of them. More to the point, his solo homer gave the Dodgers a 3-1 lead in Game 2.

Further Dodger insurance came in the eighth, albeit in less thunderous fashion. 

It's now essentially a best-of-five series

The 1-1 tie in this best-of-seven affair means that, just like it says above, it's now basically a best-of-five series for the belt and the title. By splitting the first Toronto leg, the Dodgers were able to seize home-field advantage the rest of the way. The Dodgers will host Games 3, 4, and 5 before the "if necessary" portion of the series brings us back to Toronto. For Games 3 and 4, the Dodgers have Tyler Glasnow and Shohei Ohtani lined up. So did the win in Game 2 shift the advantage back to the defending champs once all those factors are considered? It's easy to draw that conclusion. 

As for Monday's Game 3 at Dodger Stadium, first pitch is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. ET. 

[Oct 25, 2025 at 10:26 pm ET · Matt Snyder]

The Los Angeles Dodgers have won Game 2 of the World Series, taking down the Toronto Blue Jays, 5-1. This evens the best-of-seven series at one game apiece, meaning we'll see at least five games in this Fall Classic. 

The Dodgers got on the board in the first inning despite starting things off with a pair of outs. Freddie Freeman doubled with two outs and came home on Will Smith's RBI single up the middle. 

The Blue Jays would tie the game in the third inning. George Springer got on base via hit by pitch and then advanced to third on a Vladimir Guerrero single -- a booming single, as it was a hard liner that hit off the wall. Springer then came home on a sac fly from Alejandro Kirk. 

Other than those two runs, it was all zeroes on the scoreboard going to the seventh inning. At one point, the starting pitchers -- Kevin Gausman of the Blue Jays and Yoshinobu Yamamoto of the Dodgers -- had retired a combined 21 hitters in a row. It was a big-time pitcher's duel at that point. 

The Blue Jays might've asked too much of Gausman, though, as he gave up two home runs in the seventh. Will Smith delivered one to lead off the inning. 

And with two outs, Max Muncy hit the other. 

Muncy is the Dodgers' postseason franchise record-holder with 15 home runs. Corey Seager and Justin Turner are tied for second with 13 and Duke Snider comes next with 11. 

The Dodgers tacked on two more runs in the eighth to make things more comfortable for Yamamoto with a 5-1 lead. 

Yes, he was still in the game. Yamamoto deserves a ton of credit for keeping the Dodgers' beleaguered bullpen sidelined. One night after seeing the Blue Jays score 11 runs, including nine in the sixth inning, Yamamoto worked around traffic in the first three innings before settling in and dominating through the middle innings and looking even stronger in the late innings. 

Remember, he threw the first postseason complete game since 2017 in Game 2 of the NLCS. This time out, he became the first pitcher since Curt Schilling in 2001 to throw a complete game in back-to-back playoff starts. This was also the first World Series complete game since Johnny Cueto in 2015. 

Yamamoto struck out seven without walking anyone and didn't allow a hit after the third inning. In fact, he didn't allow a single baserunner following the Guerrero single off the wall in the third, closing things down by retiring 20 straight Blue Jays hitters.

It was a masterful performance to prevent the Dodgers from falling behind 2-0 in the World Series.

With the series now tied 1-1, things shift all the way to the west coast (and the United States) as Dodger Stadium will host Games 3-5. It'll be Max Scherzer on the mound for the Blue Jays against Tyler Glasnow of the Dodgers in Game 3 Monday night.

[Oct 25, 2025 at 10:44 pm ET · Mike Axisa]

The last pitcher with a complete game in the World Series: Johnny Cueto for the Royals in Game 2 in 2015. Yamamoto is an out away.

[Oct 25, 2025 at 10:37 pm ET · Mike Axisa]

Dodgers up 5-1 and Yamamoto is coming back out at 93 pitches.

[Oct 25, 2025 at 10:28 pm ET · Mike Axisa]

He's retired 17 straight and he's thrown only 93 pitches. Struck out the side in the eighth. I have to think he'll go out for the ninth inning with (at least) a 5-1 lead. He's been masterful.

[Oct 25, 2025 at 10:22 pm ET · Mike Axisa]

After loading the bases with one out, they add two insurance runs on a wild pitch and a Will Smith fielder's choice (he beat out a would-be inning-ending double play). It's 5-1 in the eighth.

Yamamoto is at 79 pitches and has a real chance to become the first pitcher since Curt Schilling in 2001 to throw back-to-back complete games in the postseason. The Dodgers are six outs away from a Game 2 win and evening this series at 1-1.

[Oct 25, 2025 at 10:15 pm ET · Mike Axisa]

Betts walks to load the base with one out. Closer Jeff Hoffman is coming in to face Freeman.

[Oct 25, 2025 at 10:11 pm ET · Mike Axisa]

Andy Pages and Shohei Ohtani have strung together back-to-back singles with one out in the eighth inning against Louie Varland. The Dodgers have a chance to add some insurance for their shaky bullpen (though Yamamoto is dealing).

[Oct 25, 2025 at 10:09 pm ET · Mike Axisa]

Yamamoto has retired 14 straight.

[Oct 25, 2025 at 10:07 pm ET · Mike Axisa]

Bichette grounds out to short. Yamamoto is through seven innings on 79 pitches. Could he have another complete game in him?

[Oct 25, 2025 at 10:05 pm ET · Mike Axisa]

Yamamoto got two quick outs to begin the seventh. Bichette is pinch-hitting for Isiah Kiner-Falefa.

[Oct 25, 2025 at 9:57 pm ET · Mike Axisa]

Max Muncy goes deep two batters after Will Smith. It's 3-1 Dodgers in the seventh. So much for the Dodgers lacking the big swing for much of the postseason, eh?

That was Muncy's 15th career postseason homer, most in Dodgers' history. He broke a tie with Corey Seager and Justin Turner (both 13) earlier this postseason. 

Now the question is whether Yoshinobu Yamamoto (71 pitches) and the Dodgers' bullpen (😬) can get nine outs before giving up two runs.

[Oct 25, 2025 at 9:53 pm ET · Mike Axisa]

Will Smith? He will. His solo homer gives the Dodgers a 2-1 lead in the seventh and snaps Kevin Gausman's string of 17 straight retired. Quality, understated bat flip here:

The Dodgers came into this game with 14 home runs in 11 games this postseason. During their World Series run last year, they hit 29 home runs in 16 games. They've been missing the big swing much of October. They just got it there. I wonder if Roki Sasaki will be available for two innings tonight?

[Oct 25, 2025 at 9:46 pm ET · Mike Axisa]

The last 21 batters between the two teams have made outs.

[Oct 25, 2025 at 9:44 pm ET · Mike Axisa]

This has turned into a terrific pitchers' duel. Yamamoto is at 71 pitches, Gausman 65. Feels like next team to homer wins.

[Oct 25, 2025 at 9:39 pm ET · Matt Snyder]

Last night, the Blue Jays came one run short of a World Series record by scoring nine times in the bottom of the sixth.

[Oct 25, 2025 at 9:38 pm ET · Mike Axisa]

That's 16 straight retired for Gausman. Neither Louie Varland nor Jeff Hoffman pitched last night and there's an off-day tomorrow. I'm sure they're good for 4-6 outs each, if needed.

[Oct 25, 2025 at 9:32 pm ET · Mike Axisa]

We don't need a mid-game musical performance.

[Oct 25, 2025 at 9:28 pm ET · Dayn Perry]

Yamamoto has done so on 60 pitchers, Gausman on 59. 

[Oct 25, 2025 at 9:23 pm ET · Mike Axisa]

That's 13 straight retired for Gausman. He's at 59 pitches through five innings. He went exactly 5 ⅔ innings in his other postseason starts because the wheels started to come off the third time through the lineup. No. 9 hitter Andy Pages will lead off the sixth, then the lineup will turn over.

[Oct 25, 2025 at 9:20 pm ET · Mike Axisa]

Max Muncy just squared around to bunt. The Dodgers are starting to press.

[Oct 25, 2025 at 9:16 pm ET · Dayn Perry]

Largely because the Jays will get to bat last, they have a 51.3% chance of winning Game 2 at the moment. 

[Oct 25, 2025 at 9:13 pm ET · Mike Axisa]

Here are Gausman's pitches to end at-bats. The Dodgers have gotten some pitches in the zone to hit, but they haven't done anything with them. Their offense has been pretty sluggish through one game and four innings.

[Oct 25, 2025 at 9:09 pm ET · Mike Axisa]

Gausman has retired 10 straight since Freeman's and Smith's back-to-back hits to score L.A.'s run in the first inning.

[Oct 25, 2025 at 9:04 pm ET · Mike Axisa]

The leadoff hit-by-pitch bites Yamamoto. Vlad Jr. ripped a 114 mph rocket off the wall -- it was hit so hard that he held himself to a single -- to move George Springer to third, then Alejandro Kirk brought him home with a sacrifice fly. It's 1-1 in the third.

Yamamoto has thrown 46 pitches in three innings. Pretty good pitch count after the long first inning. Still, looks like the middle of the L.A. bullpen will get involved again.

[Oct 25, 2025 at 8:59 pm ET · Mike Axisa]

Looked like it got him in the left forearm. He's OK and staying in the game. It's the third time in three innings the Blue Jays have put the leadoff man on base. The Dodgers can't keep doing that and expect to keep this slim lead.

[Oct 25, 2025 at 8:59 pm ET · Matt Snyder]

The Blue Jays have had the leadoff man reach all three innings. This time it was George Springer (again). He was hit by a pitch.

[Oct 25, 2025 at 8:54 pm ET · Mike Axisa]

Andy Pages grounded out to open the third inning. He's hitting .075/.119/.100 this postseason. Before Game 2, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said he's considering a lineup change with Pages. Tommy Edman is nursing an ankle injury and can't really play center field. The alternative would be Hyeseong Kim in center or, more likely, Alex Call.

[Oct 25, 2025 at 8:50 pm ET · Mike Axisa]

The pop up that wasn't caught only costs Yamamoto more pitches. He retired the next three batters. It's 1-0 Dodgers after two.

[Oct 25, 2025 at 8:47 pm ET · Matt Snyder]

The four Dodgers infielders broke in sprinting for a pop up that was just in front of the pitcher's mound. Freddie Freeman tried to catch it and overran it, allowing the baserunner. Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto just stood on the mound watching people further away try to get to the ball. This continues to be insanity. So many pitchers either refuse to navigate the mound or are told not to. And so many times, they could easily make the play. Ridiculous.