Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s postseason performance was second to none. His regular season, however, landed him third behind Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes.
Yamamoto finished third behind Skenes, the unanimous winner, in the National League Cy Young Award voting announced on Wednesday. Yamamoto appeared on 29 of the 30 five-player ballots from the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. He was listed third 16 times, fourth 11 times and fifth twice.
It is the highest finish by a Dodgers pitcher since Julio Urias finished third in 2022.
BBWAA ballots for the award are submitted before the start of the postseason.
Yamamoto’s first season in MLB was marred by a shoulder injury that sidelined him for three months. But he was the only starter in the Dodgers’ starting rotation to stay healthy for the entire 2025 season. He led the team with 30 starts and 173⅔ innings during the regular season while going 12-8.
His 2.49 ERA over those 30 starts ranked second in the National League behind only Skenes. Yamamoto’s 0.99 WHIP was tied with San Diego’s Nick Pivetta for second in the NL behind Skenes.
Opposing batters hit just .183 against Yamamoto – the lowest in the majors. His 10.42 strikeouts per nine innings was third in the NL.
When the postseason started, Yamamoto took another step forward. He was 5-1 with a 1.45 ERA in six appearances, including back-to-back complete games (in Game 2 of the NL Championship Series against the Milwaukee Brewers and Game 2 of the World Series against the Toronto Blue Jays).
Yamamoto was named the World Series MVP after being the winning pitcher in three games – his complete game in Game 2, six innings in Game 6 and the final 2⅔ innings in relief the next day in Game 7.
ROSTER MOVES
Right-hander Tony Gonsolin cleared waivers and has become a free agent.
Meanwhile, catcher Ben Rortvedt was claimed on waivers by the Cincinnati Reds. Acquired at the trade deadline from the Tampa Bay Rays, there was no announcement by the Dodgers that they had waived or designated Rortvedt for assignment.
With both Will Smith (broken hand) and Dalton Rushing (bone bruise) injured late in the season, Rortvedt was briefly the Dodgers’ primary catcher. He hit .224 in 18 games.