ATLANTA, GEORGIA – OCTOBER 06: Yoshinobu Yamamoto #18 of the Los Angeles Dodgers prepares to pitch during the fifth inning against the Atlanta Braves in game three of the National League Division Series at Truist Park on October 06, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Dodgers beat the Braves in four games to win the National League Division Series, and have advanced to their eighth National League Championship Series in the last 11 years with Dave Roberts at the helm. But before we dig into the celebration and aftermath from Game 4, here are a few leftover notes from the Game 3 win.
Ken Rosenthal, who worked this NLDS for Fox, wrote at The Athletic how manager Roberts made a rare appearance in a pregame hitters meeting before Game 3. From Rosenthal:
Roberts wasn’t thrilled with the Dodgers’ offensive effort in Game 2 of the National League Division Series, a 3-2 loss to the Atlanta Braves. So, with the series tied and his team set to face one of the best pitchers in the sport, the manager wanted to send his hitters a message.
“It was just to kind of try to put them in a mindset that it’s an elimination game, to challenge them to be more exhausted emotionally because they’re playing every single pitch,” Roberts said. “I wanted Chris Sale to know he was in a fight. I think we accomplished that.”
Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s latest brilliant postseason start on Tuesday earned the praise of Gabe Lacques of USA Today, who notes how Yamamoto is earning his place alongside many notable historical postseason stalwarts.
“Yama is the Dodgers’ rock and his three-year exploits – a 2.14 ERA, 58 strikeouts to 13 walks in 63 innings – are, era-adjusted, growing just as impressive as the Koufaxes and Pettittes and Bumgarners,” Lacques wrote.
Michael Baumann at FanGraphs extolled Yamamoto’s effort in Game 3, and yet another appearance of October Kiké Hernández.
Molly Knight at her The Long Game newsletter also extolled Yamamoto’s postseason prowess, calling him “an absolute playoff monster who can throw six different pitches for strikes in any count while never breaking a sweat.”