MILWAUKEE — Yoshinobu Yamamoto allowed a homer on the first pitch but did not yield another run over a complete-game three-hitter as the Los Angeles Dodgers earned a 5-1 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday to take a 2-0 lead in the National League Championship Series.
The right-hander fired the Dodgers’ first postseason complete game since 2004. The most recent playoff complete game by any pitcher was turned in by Justin Verlander in 2017.
Yamamoto (2-1) struck out seven and walked one in a dominant 111-pitch outing. He never previously threw a complete game in 48 regular-season starts and six playoff starts over his two seasons with the Dodgers.
Teoscar Hernandez and Max Muncy each hit a solo homer off Brewers ace Freddy Peralta.
Game 3 of the best-of-seven series is scheduled for Thursday in Los Angeles. Since the League Championship Series went to a best-of-seven format, 17 teams have won the first two games, and 14 of those went on to reach the World Series.
Milwaukee, which earned the top overall playoff seed after a posting franchise-record 97 victories, has scored just one run in each of the first two games, managing just five hits total.
Jackson Chourio staked the Brewers to a 1-0 lead with a leadoff homer, sending a first-pitch fastball from Yamamoto 389 feet to right-center.
The Dodgers answered with two runs in the second off Peralta. Teoscar Hernandez tied it with a one-out solo homer to left, his first of the series and fourth of the postseason. Enrique Hernandez singled up the middle with two outs, and Andy Pages followed with an RBI double into the right field corner.
Max Muncy extended the lead to 3-1 in the sixth with a two-out solo homer, chasing Peralta.
The Dodgers added a run in the seventh when Enrique Hernandez hit a leadoff double, advanced on a sacrifice bunt and scored on Shohei Ohtani’s single to right.
Los Angeles made it 5-1 on two singles and two walks in the eighth, with Tommy Edman getting the RBI.
Peralta (1-2) allowed three runs on five hits in 5 2/3 innings with four strikeouts, one walk and a hit batter in a 97-pitch outing.
Peralta, who led the National League with 17 victories, entered 10-1 with a 1.85 ERA in 18 home starts this season, including a win over the Chicago Cubs in Game 1 of the NL Division Series.
