Yamamoto's Historic Near Miss
Yamamoto Dominates White Sox, Almost Pitches No-Hitter in Dodgers' 7-1 Victory
Key Points
Yamamoto’s run included a historic-pace streak: dating back to his previous start vs. the Angels, he retired 45 straight batters—one short of the MLB mark set by Yusmeiro Petit in 2014.
In the perfect-game-breaking play, the damage extended beyond Betts’ boot: second baseman Santiago Espinal also got a chance to make a play on the deflection but “couldn’t get the throw off,” turning the moment into a second failure point.
After the no-hitter was broken in the ninth, the Dodgers still managed the final inning without fully losing the thread: they kept Yamamoto in to one more out (105 pitches), then pulled him for Alex Vesia, who worked through the order allowing only a homer and a runner who reached on an error.
The matchup came after a rough Friday opener: the Dodgers lost 8-2, dropping to 44-26, while the White Sox improved to 37-31 and extended their home winning streak to eight games—setting up a bounce-back start for Yamamoto.
Shohei Ohtani’s return was driven by health/availability: he missed Friday due to knee inflammation and returned to the Dodgers’ leadoff spot Saturday, where he homered in his first at-bat.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto came within inches of baseball immortality Saturday, carrying a perfect game into the eighth inning and a no-hitter into the ninth before the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Chicago White Sox 7-1 at Guaranteed Rate Field. His bid to retire 46 straight batters — which would have broken the MLB record set by Yusmeiro Petit in 2014 — ended at 45, leaving him one out short of history, according to Associated Press.
Shohei Ohtani returned from a one-game absence due to knee inflammation to launch a 409-foot leadoff home run in the first inning. The Dodgers, who had lost 8-2 on Friday, improved to 45-26 with the bounce-back win.
Two Plays in Two Innings Ended a Historic Streak
With two outs in the eighth, Chase Meidroth hit a ground ball to shortstop Mookie Betts. Betts bobbled it. The ball deflected toward second baseman Santiago Espinal, who "couldn't get the throw off," according to The Big Lead. The play was ruled an error, snapping both the perfect game bid and the 45-batter streak. Yamamoto quickly got the next out and walked off the mound still holding a no-hitter.
The no-hitter lasted one more batter into the ninth. Tristan Peters hit a 96.6 mph fastball for a line-drive home run to right field, ending both the no-hitter and the shutout. "He didn't give us anything to hit for two hours," Peters said after the game, according to KTVN. "I just wanted to get a barrel on a heater."
Yamamoto's 45-Batter Run Was Already Record-Breaking Territory
The streak did not start Saturday. Yamamoto had retired the final 22 batters in his previous start against the Angels on June 6. He then retired all 23 White Sox batters he faced before Betts' error. The combined 45 outs set a Dodgers franchise record and stand as the second-longest streak in the live-ball era, according to Al Bat.
The MLB record of 46 belongs to Yusmeiro Petit, set between July 22 and August 28, 2014. Yamamoto needed just one more out to tie it and two to break it. His final stat line: 8.1 innings, 1 hit, 1 run, 0 walks, 7 strikeouts, and 109 pitches — a season high, per KTVN.
Roberts Backed Yamamoto Through a Season-High Pitch Count
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts had predicted in spring training that Yamamoto would throw a no-hitter in 2026. He let his ace stay on the mound into the ninth despite the high pitch count. "Yoshi was masterful," Roberts said after the game, according to Newsday. "The error is baseball, but what he did over those 45 batters is legendary."
After Peters' homer, Yamamoto got one more out before Roberts pulled him for reliever Alex Vesia. Yamamoto also showed grace in the dugout after the eighth. Sources told Chad Moriyama that Yamamoto "picked up" Betts immediately after the inning, easing the tension over the lost perfect game bid.
Ohtani's Return Powered a Dodgers Bounce-Back Win
Ohtani had been a late scratch on Friday with left knee inflammation. He came back Saturday and wasted no time. His first-inning home run left the bat at 109.6 mph and traveled 409 feet, according to Newsday. He finished 1-for-4. Max Muncy also added power support as Los Angeles piled up 7 runs.
The win snapped the White Sox's eight-game home winning streak and moved the Dodgers to 45-26. With the performance, Yamamoto improved to 7-4 on the season and strengthened his case as the NL Cy Young frontrunner, given his 0.99 ERA over his previous four starts, per Al Bat. The sellout crowd of 37,832 watched history nearly happen — and mostly did.
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