Yamamoto Dominates in Final Tune Up as Dodgers Edge Padres 4–3

If Yoshinobu Yamamoto wanted to send a message before his Opening Day start at Dodger Stadium, he delivered it with authority.

In his final Spring Training outing, the reigning World Series MVP looked every bit like the ace the Dodgers have envisioned — and maybe even sharper. Yamamoto struck out the side in the first inning and piled up seven strikeouts over five scoreless frames, allowing just three hits and one walk. Of his 68 pitches, 44 were strikes, a crisp, mid‑season‑form efficiency that left Padres hitters shaking their heads.

When Yamamoto exited, the Dodgers were nursing a 1–0 lead. That margin grew quickly in the bottom of the fifth as the veteran core went to work. Kyle Tucker singled, Mookie Betts walked, and Freddie Freeman followed with a base hit to load the bases. Teoscar Hernández and Max Muncy then drew back‑to‑back walks, forcing in two runs and stretching the lead to 3–0.

San Diego answered in the sixth when Ramón Laureano launched a two‑run homer to cut the deficit to 3–2. The Dodgers responded immediately: Eduardo Quintero punched a run‑scoring single to restore a two‑run cushion at 4–2.

The Padres made one last push in the ninth, plating a run and bringing the tying run to the plate. But closer Evan Shaw slammed the door, striking out the final two hitters to secure the 4–3 win.

Notes

Miguel Rojas continued his strong spring, going 2-for-3 with a sharp RBI double that opened the scoring.

With less than a week until Opening Day, the battle for the second base job remains wide open — and Rojas is making his case.