Yamamoto, Freeland guide Dodgers to victory over Blue Jays

Los Angeles Dodgers second baseman Alex Freeland (76) reacts after hitting a double against the Toronto Blue Jays in the seventh inning at Rogers Centre.

TORONTO — The boos came early for Yoshinobu Yamamoto, echoing throughout Rogers Centre before he even delivered a pitch. Blue Jays fans hadn’t forgotten October — not the cold, clinical dominance of Game 7 of the World Series, when Yamamoto authored a performance that still lingers here like a bruise.

But if Tuesday night proved anything, it’s that memory doesn’t rattle him. It sharpens him.

Yamamoto turned those boos into background noise and delivered a masterclass, leading the Dodgers to a crisp 4-1 win over the Toronto Blue Jays. It pushed Los Angeles to 9-2 on the young season, winners of five straight, and clinched yet another early-season series — this time north of the border.

And just like Monday, when Dalton Rushing crushed two home runs, Tuesday belonged to another emerging name: Alex Freeland.

Freeland didn’t just contribute — he carried. Three hits, an RBI, and two runs scored, the lone Dodger with a multi-hit night. In a lineup filled with stars, it was the young infielder who kept the engine humming.

“Just keep showing up and keep putting in the work,” Freeland said postgame — a quote that aged perfectly over nine innings.

Yamamoto set the tone immediately. Eleven pitches. Three strikeouts. A first inning that felt less like an opening frame and more like a warning. After managing just two strikeouts in his previous outing, he looked recalibrated, carving through hitters with precision.

By the fourth inning, he had retired 12 of 13 batters, including nine straight, piling up six strikeouts and total command of the game.

"I was able to control my pitches, both fastball and off-speed." Yamamoto said postgame.

Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto (18) delivers a pitch against the Toronto Blue Jays in the first inning at Rogers Centre.

Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images

Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto (18) delivers a pitch against the Toronto Blue Jays in the first inning at Rogers Centre.

The offense followed suit in the third — sparked by a player who wasn’t even supposed to be in the lineup.

Hyeseong Kim, a late insertion after Miguel Rojas was scratched due to a family matter, wasted no time making his presence felt. A leadoff double set the table, and chaos followed. A bunt from Freeland turned into a ricochet off his head, putting runners on the corners.

That brought up Shohei Ohtani — and he did what he does.

A 105.2 mph laser off the right-field wall plated the game’s first run and extended his on-base streak to 42 games, now the seventh-longest in Dodgers history. Quietly historic, loudly impactful.

Will Smith followed with a productive groundout that made it 2-0, continuing his knack for delivering in key moments — even without a hit.

Freeland returned in the fifth to do more damage. After Kim worked a walk and advanced on a balk from Kevin Gausman, Freeland lined a single to right, pushing the lead to 3-0 and chasing Gausman shortly after.

That cushion mattered — because the sixth got interesting.

A bloop single from Andrés Giménez and a gap double by George Springer cut the lead to 3-1, the only real dent against Yamamoto’s otherwise pristine night. He’d finish at 6+ innings, one run, six strikeouts, and complete control for most of it.

The real turning point, though, came an inning later — and it belonged to Alex Vesia. With the bases loaded, nobody out, Vesia walked into the kind of moment that can define a bullpen — or unravel it.

A walk loaded the bases. Then came two flyouts. Then a strikeout. No runs. Inning over. Momentum gone.

It was, simply put, one of the most important sequences of the Dodgers’ young season. From there, the bullpen slammed the door. Blake Treinen carved through the eighth on just 10 pitches, and Edwin Díaz handled the ninth for his fourth save.

The Dodgers tacked on an insurance run in the ninth — a Kyle Tucker single aided by defensive miscues — but by then, the outcome already felt decided. This is what good teams do. They get stars performing like stars — Yamamoto, Ohtani — and they get unexpected contributions from the edges of the roster.

Two nights, two young players stepped into the spotlight.

First Rushing. Then Freeland.

And if this early stretch is any indication, the Dodgers aren’t just winning — they’re building something deeper than a lineup card.