Yoshinobu Yamamoto claimed three wins and earned MVP honors in the World Series, setting a new MLB record for nearly 24 years.

During the 2025 MLB World Series Game 7, the Los Angeles Dodgers battled through 11 innings to overturn the Toronto Blue Jays 5-4 and secure back-to-back championships. Japanese pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto stepped up in the finale, pitching in relief without rest after starting the day before, closing 2.2 scoreless innings flawlessly, earning his third personal win in this World Series, becoming the first pitcher in nearly 24 years in MLB to achieve this feat.

In this crucial game, the Dodgers used all their pitching resources. In the bottom of the ninth, after Blake Snell—who started Games 1 and 5—recorded one out but allowed consecutive baserunners, Yamamoto, who had pitched six innings with 94 pitches just the day before, once again took the mound. Despite hitting a batter to load the bases, he relied on his precise fast forkball to escape the jam and ultimately helped push the game into extra innings.

In the bottom of the eleventh inning, facing a tough situation after Yamamoto was hit with a double and then advanced to third by a sacrifice bunt, he remained calm and used precise pitch sequencing to induce a walk-off double play, securing the victory for his team. Catcher Will Smith emotionally embraced the Japanese ace after the game.

"Great!" Yamamoto expressed his excitement briefly in Japanese. Throughout this World Series, he first pitched a complete game win in Game 2, then led the team to consecutive victories in the do-or-die Games 6 and 7 as both starter and closer. Over the entire postseason, Yamamoto appeared six times, recording five wins and one loss, pitching 37.1 innings with an ERA of just 1.45, perfectly proving his ace value.

Notably, Yamamoto became the first pitcher since legendary left-hander Randy Johnson in 2001 to earn three wins in a single World Series. If considering only right-handed pitchers, the last to achieve this was Bob Gibson of the 1967 St. Louis Cardinals—58 years ago. Given the increasing specialization of pitchers in modern baseball, this accomplishment is even more remarkable.

The Dodgers signed Yamamoto, who had yet to appear in an MLB game, to a massive 12-year, $325 million contract during the offseason two years ago. Now, this Japanese ace has perfectly justified that investment with a World Series championship and record-setting performance.