MILWAUKEE — When Yoshinobu Yamamoto takes the mound on Tuesday night, he’s hoping his hair color won’t be the only thing that looks a bit different.
The Dodgers’ right-hander debuted a new look ahead of his Game 2 start in the National League Championship Series against the Brewers, dying his previously blonde hair to black. Yamamoto said it was not done in response to his uneven performance in Game 3 of the NLDS against the Phillies — but also acknowledged it can’t hurt.
“It was not the reason,” Yamamoto said on Monday afternoon via a team interpreter. “But I hope this helps to get things going in my direction.”
Of course, it’s not as if Yamamoto has been searching for answers amid some lengthy slump. He ranked second among NL pitchers with a 2.49 ERA while going 12-8 with 201 strikeouts and a 0.99 WHIP during the regular season.
“Getting on the road in an environment and taking the first one, it’s huge,” first baseman Freddie Freeman said. “ … So, to get the first one, and you turn it over to Yoshi tomorrow, we’re obviously feeling pretty good.”
Overall, Yamamoto is 3-1 with a 3.38 ERA in six career postseason starts.
As for this year, he started (and won) the Dodgers’ NL Wild Card Series clincher, allowing just two unearned runs and striking out nine over 6 2/3 innings against the Reds. He appeared poised to throw another gem in Game 3 of the NLDS against the Phillies when he cruised through three hitless innings — but he hit a wall in the fourth.
The righty started the frame by serving up a towering home run to Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber en route to allowing three runs on four hits in the fourth. Yamamoto was lifted after allowing back-to-back hits to start the fifth.
“Last outing, my stuff was not initially that bad,” Yamamoto said. “… So I think I’d like to focus more on the fundamental part of pitching, such as location and those things.”
It’s not just that NLDS outing that Yamamoto will be looking to put behind him. He’ll take the mound at American Family Field hoping to avenge a disastrous start — perhaps the worst of his career — that came in that same ballpark earlier this season.
Yamamoto did not make it out of the first in that July 7 start against the Brewers. Though an error allowed the inning to continue, he was ultimately charged with five runs (three earned) on four hits and two walks over just two-thirds of an inning.
“Last time I was here, the outcome was not as expected,” Yamamoto said. “And obviously, the lineup — it’s a great lineup. They can hit home runs, string together hits. So I would like to get myself ready as best as possible.”
In that previous start — Yamamoto’s only against the Brewers — the big knock was a three-run homer from Andrew Vaughn, who was making his Milwaukee debut at the time. That alone is an indication of just how much has changed since that day, considering Vaughn has since entrenched himself as the everyday first baseman for the NL Central-champion Brewers after being designated for assignment by the last-place White Sox earlier in the year.
As for Yamamoto, he went 4-1 with a 2.12 ERA over his final dozen starts following that forgettable performance.
Both Yamamoto and the Dodgers are confident that day in Milwaukee was nothing more than a blip in an otherwise Cy Young-caliber campaign. They believe Yamamoto will look like an entirely different pitcher in Game 2 — and no, not because of his hair.
“It’s not really a subject we talk about here, but thanks for giving me the opportunity to talk about it,” a smiling Yamamoto said. “Because the last time, my hair was a little bit bright. So I just went and dyed it a little darker.”
