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Yoshinobu Yamamoto Was Amped After Strikeout Left Elly De La Cruz Looking Silly

What a pitch.
Michael Kadlick|
Yamamoto was pumped.
Yamamoto was pumped. | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

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Los Angeles DodgersCincinnati Reds

Facing a no-out, bases-loaded jam against the Reds on Wednesday night, Dodgers starting pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto retired three straight batters to help carry a 3-2 L.A. lead through another half-inning.

The 27-year-old forced Ke'Bryan Hayes into a fielder's choice before striking out Sal Stewart and Elly De La Cruz to leave the 6th inning unscathed.

After making De La Cruz look foolish with an 80-mile-per-hour curve ball for a third strike swinging, Yamamoto let out all of the emotions—and turned in this epic reaction:

Awesome stuff.

The Dodgers' offense went on to score four more runs in the ensuing half inning to give their team, and their pitcher, some insurance while taking a 6-2 lead.

Yamamoto was ultimately pulled after an outing that saw him allow just two unearned runs and four hits while striking out nine across 6 2/3 innings. With a win, the Dodgers will advance to the NLDS and take on the Philadelphia Phillies.

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Mike Kadlick
MICHAEL KADLICK

Mike Kadlick is a senior NFL news writer for Sports Illustrated. He’s also a New England Patriots reporter for CLNS Media, where he hosts the Patriots Daily podcast and covers the beat from Gillette Stadium. Before joining SI, Kadlick worked at WEEI sports radio in Boston. He holds a master’s degree in public relations from Boston University. When Kadlick’s not covering football, he can be found running, spending time with his wife and dog, and enjoying all things pizza.

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