LOS ANGELES (AP) — Yoshinobu Yamamoto walked back to his dugout and gave the slightest tip of his cap to cheering fans. He left Japan for moments like this, a chance to give the Los Angeles Dodgers control of the World Series.

Yamamoto allowed one hit in 6 1/3 innings, Freddie Freeman homered for the second straight night and Los Angeles defeated the New York Yankees 4-2 on Saturday for a 2-0 Series lead.

But the Dodgers go to New York, unsure if Shohei Ohtani can play next biggest star partially dislocated his left shoulder on a slide at second base.

“We’re going to have some tests tonight and tomorrow and we’ll know more in the coming days,” manager Dave Roberts said. “The power was great. The range of motion is good. So we are encouraged.”

Tommy Edman and Teoscar Hernández also went deep off starter Carlos Rodón, who tied a Yankees World Series record by allowing three home runs.

New York was held to one hit for the ninth, as the Yankees closed at 4-2 on Giancarlo Stanton’s one-out RBI single against Blake Treinen. Anthony Volpe struck out with the bases loaded, and Alex Vesia came in to eliminate pinch-hitter Jose Trevino on a first-pitch flyout for his first postseason save.

“When we think back to my front yard at my house, that’s what we would imagine,” Vesia said.

Game 3 is Monday night at Yankee Stadium. Forty-five of the 56 teams with a 2-0 lead in the World Series have won the title.

“No one said it would be easy,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “It’s a long series, and we have to make it a long series now. We will not back down.”

Yankees star Aaron Judge went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts. He is 1 for 9 in the Series, hitting .150 with six RBIs and 19 strikeouts in 40 postseason at-bats.

‘Just expand the zone. That’s what it really comes down to,” Judge said. “I think it’s trying to make things happen instead of letting the game come to you. …It’s plain and simple: I need to start swinging on strikes.

Yamamoto spurned the Yankees last December and joined the Dodgers on a $325 million, 12-year contract, a record for pitchers. Together with Ohtani, he created record interest in Major League Baseball in Japan.

The rookie right-hander pitched seven scoreless innings at Yankee Stadium on June 7, but was sidelined from June 15 to September 10 with a strained rotator cuff. This was his best start since the injury.

Yamamoto gave up Juan Soto’s home run in the third inning, then retired his last 11 batters.

“He was made for those moments,” Hernández said. “He did it in Japan before he came here, and as soon as he got here he did it here.”

Yamamoto struck out four and walked two with a five-pitch array, including curveballs, splitters, sliders and cutters. He improved to 2-0 in four postseason starts.

“It was a bit of a mixed feeling because I was really looking forward to it and was happy, but then I felt myself starting to concentrate,” Yamamoto said through a translator.

Soto’s fourth postseason homer, on an inside fastball, was the only run Yamamoto allowed in two starts and 13 1/3 innings against the Yankees this year.

Soto also singled off the right-field wall in the ninth and scored on Stanton’s one-out single from the bag at third base. Jazz Chisholm Jr. singled and Anthony Rizzo was hit by a pitch for the second time in the game, loading the bases.

But that’s where the rally ended.

“This is everything to me, playing on the biggest stage with literally the two biggest teams you can play for, the biggest franchises, the most history,” Vesia said.

A night after Freeman hit the first walk-off grand slam in Series history, turning a 3-2 deficit with two outs in the 10th inning into a 6-3 victory, Edman put the Dodgers ahead with a solo shot in the second.

After Soto tied the score, Mookie Betts singled with two outs in the bottom half and Hernández homered, on a 3-for-27 slide, to the right-center pavilion. Freeman, who before Friday had not gone deep since September 16, completed the count and homered again to right-center.

Playing with a sprained right ankle, Freeman has homered in four straight Series games dating back to Atlanta’s last two games against Houston in 2021. That’s one shy of Astros outfielder George Springer’s record.

Freeman had six days off while participating in the World Series.

“I was able to soothe my ankle,” he said. “So hopefully with the flight tonight – I’ve been having a lot of trouble with flights – so hopefully we can get it down tomorrow and get in a good spot for Game 3.”

All three Dodgers home runs came on fastballs by Rodón, whose 31 longballs during the regular season ranked second in the major leagues. Los Angeles had back-to-back Series homers for the second time, after Pedro Guerrero and Steve Yeager connected against Yankees lefty Ron Guidry for a 2-1 victory in Game 5 in 1981.

Rodón gave up four runs and six hits in 3 1/3 innings. He only got one swing and missed his fastball.

Los Angeles took a 2-0 lead in the Series for the first time since 1988, when Kirk Gibson’s walk-off homer against Oakland’s Dennis Eckersley won the opener and Orel Hershiser followed with a three-hit shutout. The Yankees are 0-2 for the first time since 2001, when they rebounded to win three straight at home and lose Games 6 and 7 in Arizona.

Ohtani’s MRI and the determination of his availability will be eagerly awaited by the Dodgers and their fans.

“Not only the dugout, but the entire stadium became silent,” Hernández said. “Hopefully he’s doing well and the day off will help him get back on the field on Monday.”

NEXT

Yankees RHP Clarke Schmidt and Dodgers RHP Walker Buehler start Monday. Schmidt has a 3.86 ERA in a pair of postseason starts, no decisions in Game 3s against Kansas City and Cleveland. Buehler has also started a pair of Game 3s, allowing six runs over five innings in a 6-5 loss to San Diego and pitching four innings in an 8-0 win at the New York Mets.

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