Blue Jays vs Dodgers: Gausman and Yamamoto deliver a 'Hollywood' duel in World Series Game 2

"Gausman pitched well for the majority of his outing against the Dodgers. His first inning was about establishing his fastball, which he did. Freddie Freeman stroked a double in the first inning and later scored on a Will Smith single, putting the Dodgers up early. After the first inning, Gausman sailed through the Dodgers' lineup, utilizing his four-seam fastball with solid command. The fastball cuts into right-handed hitters, jamming most bats and missing barrels."

"After the first inning, Gausman sailed through the Dodgers' lineup, utilizing his four-seam fastball with solid command. The fastball cuts into right-handed hitters, jamming most bats and missing barrels. He threw 49 four-seam fastballs, only 4 sliders, and 29 splitters. He worked on and off the zone, keeping his fastball choked on the inside and the splitter low, off the knees. 45 pitches were in the zone, 37 pitches were out of the zone, forcing 39 swings, and 43 takes."

"Gausman's seventh inning was the "blink" moment. He missed middle-in with a fastball against Will Smith, who took the pitch over the left-field wall for a home run. In the same inning, the same type of pitch was offered to Max Muncy, who shot it over the same area for an opposite-field shot. Before the seventh inning, Gausman had retired 17 straight Dodgers hitters."

The Toronto Blue Jays started Kevin Gausman against Yoshinobu Yamamoto in Game 2 of the 2025 World Series. Both pitchers were key rotation figures and major contributors to their teams reaching the fall classic. Gausman established his fastball early but allowed an early run after Freddie Freeman's double and a Will Smith single. Gausman attacked with a four-seam fastball, throwing 49 of them alongside 4 sliders and 29 splitters while working in and out of the zone. He surrendered two seventh-inning homers after retiring 17 straight hitters and finished 6 2/3 innings with three earned runs. Yoshinobu Yamamoto remained effective when healthy, and the Blue Jays had not faced him earlier in the season.

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