Dodgers Turn to Yoshinobu Yamamoto for NLDS Game 3 vs. Braves

Yoshinobu Yamamoto gets the Game 3 assignment against Atlanta, following left-handers Tarik Skubal and Blake Snell in the first two games of the NLDS.

Right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto will take the ball in Game 3 of the National League Division Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Atlanta Braves. The decision completes the Dodgers' pitching order for the opening three games of the series.

Yamamoto remained with the Los Angeles rotation following a 2025 postseason in which he pitched to a 1.45 ERA across six appearances and captured World Series MVP honors. That October ended with the Dodgers beating the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 7 at Rogers Centre on Nov. 1, 2025, a championship Yamamoto celebrated on the field alongside manager Dave Roberts.

The 2026 regular season brought further career milestones. Yamamoto recorded a 2.53 ERA and struck out 182 across 185 innings, surpassing the 173.2 innings he worked the year before. His 5.9 bWAR set a personal best, he earned a second All-Star nod, and shortly after the break he finished a complete game against the New York Yankees — the first of his career in the regular season and his first in any context since the 2025 playoffs.

Atlanta, meanwhile, has not made its own Game 3 decision public. The signs, however, point to Chris Sale, whose appearance would be his second of these playoffs.

Before Yamamoto's turn arrives, the Dodgers will roll out a pair of left-handers. Tarik Skubal, obtained in a deadline trade this season, draws Game 1, with Blake Snell scheduled for Game 2. The alignment targets an Atlanta weakness: the Braves' 91 wRC+ against left-handed pitching in the regular season was the seventh-lowest mark in the majors and the lowest of any National League playoff club.

Skubal has pitched well since switching to the National League, carrying a 2.61 ERA with 70 strikeouts in 62 innings. His postseason history is stronger still: a 2.04 ERA over six starts with 56 strikeouts in 39.2 innings. Saturday brings the first postseason start of his career in his home ballpark.

Snell was even more effective during the regular season, compiling a 1.90 ERA over nine starts after an injury sidelined him for much of the first half. He fanned 55 in 42.2 innings. In 18 career October appearances, he owns a 3.27 ERA with 102 strikeouts in 82.2 innings — excellent numbers, though short of Skubal's.

Los Angeles hopes the trio can end this series early and keep alive its bid for a third straight World Series title. Much of that belief rests on Yamamoto, whom the team counts on to deliver the performance that sends it into the next round.

The NLDS begins Saturday, October 3, with the Braves traveling to Dodger Stadium to meet the Dodgers. First pitch is scheduled for 4:00 PM EDT and the broadcast airs on FOX.