Dodgers 4, Reds 0: Yamamoto Walks the First Two, Then Retires 21 of 22

Eight of the first nine pitches missed. Then he retired almost everybody.

September 15, 2026 - Cincinnati - Yoshinobu Yamamoto walked the first two batters he faced. Eight of his first nine pitches missed, the MLB recap said. It was the first time in his major league career he had opened a start with back-to-back walks. Two batters, two baserunners, and Great American Ball Park had a chance. The Cincinnati Reds got one more man on in the next seven innings. Yamamoto retired 21 of the 22 hitters after those walks, and the Los Angeles Dodgers won 4-0.

Clear, 89 degrees. Wind 6 mph, in from right. First pitch 6:41 p.m. Attendance 25,341. The game lasted 2 hours, 28 minutes. Los Angeles had eight hits. Cincinnati had three. The Dodgers are 92-59. The Reds are 70-81. One night after Tarik Skubal threw seven scoreless here, Yamamoto threw seven more and allowed one hit. The MLB recap said Los Angeles can clinch a 13th National League West title in 14 seasons as soon as Wednesday with another win and a Padres loss.

Yamamoto (14-8) went seven: one hit, no runs, two walks, seven strikeouts, 91 pitches. The only hit was Elly De La Cruz's double in the third, 98.8 mph, the MLB recap said. After the first two hitters, manager Dave Roberts called it vintage Yama: attacking, not trying to be too fine. Yamamoto needed eight pitches to get three outs after those nine pitches to two batters. The inning that looked like a mess became the reset.

Feduccia in the second, Hernández in the third, Freeland in the seventh

Hunter Feduccia singled Max Muncy home in the second, Tommy Edman to third. 1-0. Rhett Lowder had already let a runner score and was still in a game. He would not be in one for long.

Kyle Tucker reached in the third. Teoscar Hernández homered to left, his 15th, Tucker scoring ahead of him. 3-0. Two innings, three runs, and Yamamoto had a lead that matched the way he was throwing after the first two hitters. Alex Freeland added a solo homer to left in the seventh, his fourth. 4-0. That was the night. Four runs. Eight hits. Freddie Freeman went 3-for-5 after sitting Monday with right knee soreness, the MLB recap said. He did not need to homer. He needed to put the ball in play behind a starter who had already decided the game.

Lowder (6-11) went five: five hits, three runs, two walks, four strikeouts, one homer, 91 pitches. He matched Yamamoto on pitch count and lost on the two extra runs and the shutout. Graham Ashcraft and Julian Garcia threw scoreless innings after him. Pierce Johnson allowed Freeland's homer in the seventh. None of them got a lead to hold. The Reds' bullpen finished a 4-0 that had been a 3-0 since the third.

One double, two walks, and a staff that keeps handing the next guy a template

De La Cruz went 2-for-3 with a double, a walk, and a stolen base. Juan Brito had the other Cincinnati hit. Three hits as a club. Zero runs. Yamamoto induced 16 whiffs on five pitch types, the MLB recap said, everything except his sinker. Reds manager Terry Francona said you almost have to respect five pitches. That is a compliment and a scouting report in one sentence.

Tanner Scott threw a scoreless eighth with three strikeouts. Brock Stewart finished the ninth. The shutout held. Skubal on Monday, Yamamoto on Tuesday, Blake Snell next, the MLB recap said. Freeman's line on the staff was simple: as an offense, they just need to score a few runs for them. Tuesday they scored four. It was enough by four.

Yamamoto has recorded at least one out in the seventh in five straight starts and completed the seventh in his last three, the MLB recap said. His second-half ERA is 1.98 over 10 starts, fifth among pitchers with at least 50 innings. He walked two in the first and still put 29 AthX Engine pitching points on a 4-0. That is the night in one card.

A West title that is a win and a Padres loss away

Los Angeles is 92-59. The West is close enough to touch. Wednesday is the first date it can become official. Cincinnati is 70-81 and has been eliminated from the postseason, the MLB recap said. A 4-0 in that context is a Dodgers night that looks like October practice. Yamamoto walking the first two and then retiring 21 of 22 is the version of that practice that people will remember.

Lowder took the loss. De La Cruz had the only hard-hit ball that mattered and still finished 2-for-3 in a shutout. The Reds put three hits on the board and left the park with another loss in a series that started with Skubal and continued with Yamamoto. Those are not the same pitchers. They produced the same kind of night.

The Dodgers fly toward a clinch. Yamamoto already threw the game that made the math smaller. The first two batters were the only part of Tuesday that looked like a problem. Everything after them looked like the pitcher who took the ball on Opening Day and has not given it back.

AthX Engine after the baseball

AthX Engine (our projection and scoring system) put Yamamoto at 29 pitching fantasy points, first on the Tuesday board and well clear of everyone else. Hernández had 7 hitting FP. Freeland had 5. Freeman had 3. Los Angeles finished with 11 team FP, 10th on a night the team table was full of 10-run games. Cincinnati finished at minus-5. A 4-0 can sit 10th among teams and still own the pitcher list. That split is the night.

Fantasy points measure the night under platform scoring rules. Share prices also move with traders through dynamic pricing. They are related. They are not the same number.

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*Sources: ESPN recap and box score, MLB.com Gameday wrap, MLB.com schedule, and AthX Engine scoring. Information only; not financial advice.*