It was the kind of baseball moment that leaves everyone in the stadium — and watching on TV — rubbing their eyes in disbelief. Yoshinobu Yamamoto was cruising through the Chicago White Sox lineup on Saturday night, stringing together one crisp inning after another. The Dodgers’ $325 million right-hander had retired 22 straight batters heading into the bottom of the eighth. Then Mookie Betts, arguably the best defensive outfielder of his generation, did something nobody expected.
With two outs and a 1-1 count, White Sox rookie Chase Meidroth rolled a routine ground ball toward center field. Betts, playing shallow in center for the Dodgers, broke in and positioned himself to field the ball cleanly and fire to first. Instead, the ball squirted under his glove. No bobble. No tricky hop. Just a clean, unforced error that ended Yamamoto’s perfect game bid in the strangest fashion imaginable.
Social media erupted instantly. Fans and analysts alike were stunned, given Betts’ Gold Glove résumé and his reputation for making the spectacular look routine. The official Dodgers account didn’t immediately comment on the play, but the buzz around the stadium was unmistakable: a perfect game had been derailed not by a line drive double or a walk, but by a routine out that simply wasn’t made.
A near-perfect outing still worth celebrating
Even with the perfection gone, Yamamoto still had a no-hitter alive. That lasted until the ninth inning, when White Sox first baseman Tristan Peters crushed a solo home run. Manager Dave Roberts pulled Yamamoto shortly after, and reliever Alex Vesia closed out the 7-1 win. Yamamoto’s final line: seven strikeouts, zero walks, one hit, one earned run over eight-plus innings.
For a pitcher still finding his rhythm in his second MLB season, this was arguably his most dominant start to date. The Dodgers have not confirmed any changes to his routine or schedule, but the outing certainly quiets early-season questions about his transition from NPB to the big leagues.
The win pushed Los Angeles to 45-26, good for first place in the NL West. Sunday’s rubber match against Chicago offers a chance to take the series before a Monday night showdown with the Tampa Bay Rays.
Yamamoto’s next start is tentatively scheduled for June 20, the second game of a series against the Baltimore Orioles. If his command Saturday night is any indication, Baltimore’s hitters will have their hands full — even if a perfect game didn’t quite pan out.
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