Dodgers tee off on Yankees to take commanding World Series lead in Game 2: Highlights

LOS ANGELES — The New York Yankees were supposed to have the advantage in starting pitching.

They were supposed to have more power than the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The Bronx Bombers, even with their fundamental flaws, were supposed to make this an epic World Series.

Well, two games in, and you wonder if it’s going to be two more games and out.

The Dodgers overpowered the Yankees, 4-2, on Saturday, and lead the World Series 2-0, confident when they return back to Los Angeles from New York, they’ll have a World Series trophy in their carry-on luggage.

They'll be holding their breath about Shohei Ohtani, who partially dislocated his left shoulder on a stolen base attempt in the seventh inning and was helped off the field. Manager Dave Roberts said after the game that the likely NL MVP will go for testing on Sunday but the club was "encouraged."

Even if they end up without Ohtani – who is 1-for-9 in the series – the Dodgers can start planning their Los Angeles parade because the Yankees look to be completely overmatched.

The Dodgers, who came into the World Series with only three healthy starters, have outpitched the Yankees, with Yoshinobu Yamamoto never giving the Yankees a chance.

Yamamoto completely overwhelmed the Yankees, giving up just one hit in 6⅓ shutout innings, his longest outing since June 7 when he pitched seven shutout innings against these same Yankees.

The only mistake he made was trying to sneak a fastball past Juan Soto in the third inning, which ended up going 386 feet into the Yankees’ bullpen. Yamamoto left to a raucous standing ovation by the crowd of 52,725.

The outing was even more painful for the Yankees considering they were one of the finalists for Yamamoto’s services when he left Japan last winter, only to be outbid by the Dodgers’ 12-year, $325 million offer.

The Yankees, even with Aaron Judge and Soto, can’t keep up with the Dodgers’ power show. Tommy Edman, the MVP of the NLCS, homered again. Teoscar Hernandez homered. And there was Freddie Freeman, one night after hitting the first walk-off grand slam in World Series history, homering again.

Hernandez and Freeman became the first Dodgers to go back-to-back in the World Series since Pedro Guerrero and Steve Yeager in the 1981 World Series.

While the Dodgers are putting on a Hollywood performance, the Yankees aren’t even mustering a good lounge act.

No one has been more of a dud than Judge, who hit 58 homers this season and will be honored with his second MVP award next month.

Yet, this month, he has been a shell of himself.

Judge went hitless in four at-bats, struck out three more times, giving him six strikeouts in two games. He is hitting just .150 this postseason (6-for-40) with 19 strikeouts and two homers. He has taken 113 swings this postseason, and swung and missed a staggering 49 times.

While Gerrit Cole was fabulous in Game 1, giving up just four hits and one run in six innings before being removed, Carlos Rodón couldn’t even make it out of the fourth inning, giving up six hits and four earned runs.

The Dodgers, despite a scary ninth inning with the Yankees scoring a run and loading the bases on three hits, hung on and are now keeping their fingers crossed that the biggest star in the game will be OK.

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Here's how Saturday's game unfolded:

Shohei Ohtani injury

LOS ANGELES - A raucous Saturday night at Dodger Stadium took on an ominous tone after superstar Shohei Ohtani injured his shoulder while sliding into second base on a failed steal attempt in the seventh inning.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Ohtani had suffered a partial dislocation of his left shoulder on the play and would go for further testing but the team hopeful about the injury.

"The strength was great, the range of motion good, so we're encouraged," Roberts said after the Dodgers' 4-2 win in Game 2 of the World Series.

"We'll know more in the next couple of days."

– Gabe Lacques

Yamamoto fires 6 ⅓ scoreless innings

Yoshinobu Yamamoto retired the final 11 batters he faced and got a standing ovation at Dodger Stadium when manager Dave Roberts removed him with one out in the seventh.

The only hit surrendered by the rookie right-hander was Juan Soto's solo home run in the second – the Yankees' last baserunner against Yamamoto.

Anthony Banda took over for Yamamoto and worked around a two-out walk to send us to the bottom of the seventh with the Dodgers up 4-1.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto cruises through five, Dodgers lead 4-1

$325 million rookie Yoshinobu Yamamoto has given up just one hit – Juan Soto's solo home run in the third – with two walks and three strikeouts.

The Dodgers are up 4-1 heading into the bottom of the fifth.