Pitchers' Duel: Yamamoto Outshines deGrom in Dodgers’ 3-0 Win

Baseball fans were treated to a thrilling pitchers' duel between rising Japanese star Yoshinobu Yamamoto of the Los Angeles Dodgers and two-time Cy Young Award winner Jacob deGrom of the Texas Rangers. The Dodgers came out on top, winning 3-0 at Globe Life Field, the home of the Rangers.

Yamamoto Dominates in Statement Performance

Yamamoto was nearly untouchable. The 26-year-old right-hander pitched seven scoreless innings, struck out 10, gave up only five hits, and didn’t walk a single batter. With this performance, he lowered his ERA to a National League-best 0.93.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts had nothing but praise for Yamamoto. “There’s a lot of time, but I do think that right now, he’s the best pitcher in the National League,” Roberts said. He also believes Yamamoto could make a strong push for the NL Cy Young Award in just his second season in the Majors.

Yamamoto’s teammate, second baseman Tommy Edman, also spoke highly of the young pitcher after the game. “He’s been a man on a mission,” Edman said. “He’s pretty much unstoppable. It’s fun playing behind him. You pretty much know what you’re gonna get every time. Seven shutout innings today against a good lineup.”

deGrom Shines Despite the Loss

On the other side, Jacob deGrom also delivered a strong performance, even if it wasn’t quite enough to get the win. The veteran right-hander gave up just one run over seven innings, struck out seven, and walked only one batter. That one run came early, on the first pitch of the game, when Edman launched a leadoff home run. After that, deGrom settled down and kept the dangerous Dodgers lineup quiet.

Jacob deGrom has been solid for the Rangers in 2025, showing that even at 36 years old, he can still pitch at a high level. He currently has a 0-1 record with a 3.32 ERA and 20 strikeouts. Just as important, he’s managed to stay healthy so far, which is key for a Rangers team that is relying on him to anchor their pitching rotation. If he can continue to take the mound regularly, it could make a big impact on the team’s success this season.

“Terrific job by Jacob,” said Rangers manager Bruce Bochy. “He had really good stuff tonight, good location. He did a really, really nice job. Their guy was tough on us. He got us to expand with two strikes quite a bit all night. I thought this would be a low-scoring game. That's what it was.”

A Night for Pitching Fans

Though the Rangers came up short, fans definitely got their money’s worth. The showdown between Yamamoto and deGrom was a classic pitching battle between one of the league’s brightest young arms and one of its most accomplished veterans, and neither pitcher disappointed.