Los Angeles Dodgers starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto gave his team a gift on Saturday. He had a one-hit game in the seventh inning of a World Series appearance against the New York Yankees. And of course, while the opening part of that sentence was nice, it was the sentence that followed that might ultimately prove to be the most important. This was one of the best games Yamamoto has played in his first year in the MLB. But the biggest value may come from his height.

The Dodgers are in an enviable position. They now lead 2-0 in the World Series over the Yankees next Saturday’s 4–2 win. But there are still parts of this roster that are concerning. This rotation could generously be described as threadbare: the only place you’ll find a full starting five here is on the injured list. Los Angeles has made it through the playoffs so far with just three starting pitchers, two of whom missed significant time this year themselves due to injuries, making it difficult to rely on them for any length of time. The Dodgers’ top relievers have carried the resulting burden admirably, including navigating bullpen games in every round, even in critical situations. But that weight is piling up. Still, they collectively got a crucial chance to breathe with Yamamoto’s performance on Sunday.

It was only the second time in 13 playoff games this year that a Dodgers starter pitched in the seventh.

“Obviously there’s going to be a lot of reliance on the bullpen during this series,” said Dodgers reliever Michael Kopech, who pitched the eighth inning on Saturday. “And the fact that he gives us some length and can not only pitch well, but also dominate, that’s huge.”

This was the most important start Yamamoto has made for the Dodgers, and it was also one of his best. In 6 1/3 innings, he allowed just one hit and two walks and struck out four. Yamamoto managed to look his best as he settled in and the night progressed, retiring the last 11 batters he faced. It was a performance made all the more impressive because it had been more than four months since he had worked so deeply in a game.

A strained rotator cuff kept Yamamoto out for much of this summer. When he arrived Saturday, he had not thrown more than 79 pitches in any game since returning to the mound in mid-September, and he had not pitched beyond the fifth inning. Although the Dodgers have won in all four of his appearances this postseason, his performance has been somewhat uneven, with a notably rough start to the first playoff in the National League Division Series. Still, he got through the middle innings of his first World Series game so easily that Dodgers skipper Dave Roberts had no reservations about letting him go past 80 pitches to reach the seventh inning.

“When I saw him throw the baseball,” the manager said, “there wasn’t much stress in the game.”

When asked what he thought played best for him, Yamamoto gave a simple answer: “Everything worked well today,” he said through an interpreter. That was similar to Yankees manager Aaron Boone’s response. “I thought his fastball was good, he slowed us down with a little curveball, and then the slider and the split of course,” he said. In other words? Everything. It was a showcase of what the little righty can be at his best.

This particular stage may not be familiar to Yamamoto. But he has performed in championship series before. Nearly a year ago, in his final professional game in Nippon Professional Baseball, he took the mound for Game 6 of the Japan Series. He put together one of the most dazzling performances of his decorated career: Yamamoto threw a complete game on 138 pitches and set a record with 14 strikeouts. Six weeks later, he signed his 12-year, $325 million contract with the Dodgers, hoping to one day achieve a similar feat in a World Series.

“He was built for those moments,” Dodgers outfielder Teoscar Hernández said. “He did it in Japan before he came here, and as soon as he got here he did it here. We rely on him.”

That has paid off. Los Angeles’ bullpen is trying to manage both its workload and its exposure to New York’s lineup. Yamamoto gave them a break on both fronts on Saturday.

“It really took a lot of stress out of the bullpen,” Dodgers reliever Anthony Banda said. “What he did here was huge.”