Yoshinobu Yamamoto pitched a four-hitter in the World Series’ first complete game since 2015 and Will Smith hit the tie-breaking home run in the seventh inning as the Dodgers defeated the Toronto Blue Jays 5-1 Saturday in Toronto, tying the Fall Classic at one game a piece.
Game 3 of the best-of-seven series will be played Monday at Dodger Stadium, with Tyler Glasnow pitching for the Dodgers against fellow right-hander Max Scherzer, who was briefly a Dodger during the team’s 2021 stretch run.
Yamamoto (3-1) retired the final 20 Toronto batters in the World Series’ first complete game since Oct. 28, 2015, when Johnny Cueto pitched a two-hitter in the Kansas City Royals’ 2-1 victory over the New York Mets in Game 2.
Saturday’s gem was also Yamamoto’s second consecutive complete-game victory this postseason.
“Outstanding, uber competitive, special,” Dodger manager Dave Roberts said. “He was just locked in tonight. It was one of those things he said before the series, losing is not an option, and he had that look tonight.
Yamamoto struck out eight and did not walk a batter Saturday. He had pitched the first postseason complete game since 2017 in his last start — a three-hitter in a 5-1 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers in Game 2 of the National League Championship Series Oct. 14 in Milwaukee.
Smith hit a 3-2 four-seam fastball from Blue Jays starter Kevin Gausman 404 feet over the left field wall for his first home run of the 2025 postseason.
Max Muncy hit a solo homer off Gausman two batters later, increasing the Dodgers’ lead to 3-1 in front of a crowd at Rogers Centre announced at 44,607.
Roberts called the two seventh-inning home runs “huge relief.”
“Gausman was throwing the baseball really well,” Roberts said. “We were in between, I thought, offensively with the fastball. When Will got into that 3-2 count, just missed a 3-1 heater, and then they went to the well again and hit a homer, and there was just complete elation.
“We felt that the way Yamamoto was throwing, runs were certainly going to be hard to come by. And then when Max backed it up with another homer, just huge relief.”
The Dodgers opened the scoring in the first inning. Freddie Freeman doubled with two outs with Smith singling him in two pitches later.
Toronto tied the score in the third. Leadoff batter George Springer was hit by a pitch, moved to second one out later on Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s and scored on Alejandro Kirk’s sacrifice fly.
Guerrero was the last Blue Jay batter to reach base.
The Dodgers add two runs in the eighth. Andy Pages and Shoehei Ohtani hit back-to-back singles and Mookie Betts walked on a full count to load the bases with one out, prompting Toronto manager John Schneider to relieve Louis Varland with Jeff Hoffman.
Hoffman’s first pitch was in the dirt for a wild pitch, allowing Pages to score. Hoffman’s next pitch was outside. Schneider ordered an international walk to re-load bases.
Smith grounded into a force out and beat the throw to first as Ohtani scored.
The Dodgers out-hit Toronto 6-4, with Smith getting two hits, the only player on either team with a multiple-hit game, going 2-for-4 with 3 RBIs.
Both teams left four runners on base. The Dodgers were 1-for-3 with runners in scoring position, the Blue Jays 1-for-4.
Gausman (2-2), the first of four Toronto pitchers, was charged with the loss, allowing three runs and four hits in 6 2/3 innings, striking out six and not walking a batter.