Dodgers' Will Smith Speaks On Refusal To Challenge Key Pitches For Yoshinobu Yamamoto
· Yahoo Sports
In one of the most shocking moments of the postseason, the Milwaukee Brewers chased Yoshinobu Yamamoto in the third inning of Game 2 of the National League Championship Series.
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Yamamoto recorded just eight outs, and a taxing 36-pitch third inning ended his day. In that inning, he had a six-pitch at-bat with Brice Turang with one on and one out. Turang worked a walk, but there were some close pitches in that at-bat after Turang went down 0-2. Will Smith did not challenge two really close pitches and Turang walked. The next batter, William Contreras, flew out in seven pitches. After that, Jake Bauers worked a 12-pitch walk to load the bases. Christian Yelich lined a two-RBI single two pitches later.
"Yeah, I went back and looked. I don't know if it clipped it or whatever," Smith said of the pitch he did not challenge in Turang's at-bat, per The Athletic's Fabian Ardaya. "It was kind of early in the game. We kind of had him on the ropes where we could just get him out there, and then walk. The walk one was a bummer, but I guess it happens. It's baseball."
The sixth pitch to Turang looked like it clipped the strike zone, and if the Dodgers challenged it, it looks like they would have won. Yoshinobu Yamamoto motioned like he wanted to challenge or at least wanted Smith to.
"Yeah, I mean that one was, you know, splitter actually cut that a little bit. I just saw it out and nothing came back," Smith said of the pitch to walk Turang.
That point in the game was the pivotal moment. It knocked Yamamoto out of the game, put the Brewers ahead, and set them up to attack the bullpen.
Despite losing the lead, the Dodgers battled back to take the lead, but without Yamamoto in the game, they were relying on the bullpen. The Brewers' game plan all season has been to grind away at the starting pitcher and get after the bullpen. They did just that on Monday.
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