Los Angeles Dodgers' Yamamoto Yoshinobu (27) was selected as the player who delivered the best postseason performance this year.
MLB.com, the official site of Major League Baseball, on the 7th (Korean time) selected the 20 players who showed the most outstanding performances in this year's postseason. Yamamoto, who won the World Series MVP, ranked No. 1 for this year's best postseason performance.
Yamamoto, who reigned as the top ace in Nippon Professional Baseball from 2017 to 2023, succeeded in joining Major League Baseball last season by signing a 12-year, $325 million contract with the Dodgers (about 4,795 billion won). Although he suffered an injury in his debut season, Yamamoto posted solid numbers with 18 starts (90 innings), a 7-2 record and a 3.00 ERA, and in the postseason he contributed to the Dodgers' World Series title with 4 games (18 2/3 innings), a 2-0 record and a 3.86 ERA.
In his second year in Major League Baseball this season, Yamamoto effectively served as the Dodgers' ace, recording 30 starts (173 2/3 innings), a 12-8 record and a 2.49 ERA. Even with Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow sidelined by injuries, he solidly held the Dodgers' starting rotation.
Yamamoto's strong play continued into the postseason. He thrilled fans by throwing consecutive complete-game victories in Game 2 of the National League Championship Series against Milwaukee and Game 2 of the World Series against Toronto. Yamamoto is the first to record back-to-back complete-game wins in the major league postseason since Curt Schilling in 2001, 24 years ago. For the Dodgers, it is the first time in 37 years since Orel Hershiser's consecutive complete-game wins in Game 5 of the 1988 World Series (3 consecutive complete games).
Yamamoto continued his remarkable performance even after his consecutive complete-game wins. In Game 6 of the World Series, with the Dodgers facing elimination down 2-3 in the series, he saved the team from crisis with a 6-inning outing allowing five hits, one walk, six strikeouts and one run for the win, and in Game 7 he came in on relief without rest to pitch 2 2/3 scoreless innings with one hit, one walk, one hit batter and one strikeout to secure the Dodgers' second straight World Series title.
Yamamoto, who recorded three wins in three World Series games (17 2/3 innings) with a 1.02 ERA, was named World Series MVP. He is the second Japanese player in history to do so since Hideki Matsui (Yankees) in 2009. In the postseason, he posted six games (37 1/3 innings), a 5-1 record and a 1.45 ERA, remaining this year's top postseason ace.
Following Yamamoto, the top 10 included Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (Toronto) at No. 2, Ohtani Shohei (Dodgers) at No. 3, Trey Yasevich (Toronto) at No. 4, Ernie Clement (Toronto) at No. 5, Addison Barger (Toronto) at No. 6, George Springer (Toronto) at No. 7, Aaron Judge (Yankees) at No. 8, Jorge Polanco (Seattle) at No. 9, and Tyler Glasnow (Dodgers) at No. 10.
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