TORONTO — He emerged from the dugout as if transported from a bygone era, when starting pitchers doubled as closers: Yoshinobu Yamamoto, in the ninth inning, of the World Series. Before Saturday night’s 5-1 victory by the Los Angeles Dodgers over the Toronto Blue Jays, a decade had passed since a pitcher finished what he started on this stage.
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Within the constellation of Dodgers starters, Yamamoto hovers beneath the radar. He does not possess the stateside resume of teammate Blake Snell. He does not live beneath the glow of worldwide fame like Shohei Ohtani. He lacks the otherworldly physicality of the 6-foot-8 Tyler Glasnow. But he may be the best pitcher of the bunch, as he demonstrated at Rogers Centre on Saturday, disarming the Blue Jays and drawing the World Series even as one victory apiece.
In scattering four hits and striking out eight, Yamamoto logged the first Fal
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