<p>Yoshinobu Yamamoto earned World Series MVP honours on Saturday after closing out Game 7 for the Los Angeles Dodgers, putting the finishing touches on one of the more dominant pitching performances in recent Fall Classic memory.</p> <p>The Blue Jays came into this series having scored seemingly at will throughout the playoffs. Toronto's offense had been unstoppable, tearing through every pitching staff they'd faced en route to the American League championship. Then they ran into a five-foot ten pitcher from Okayama, Japan who had other ideas.</p> <p>Yamamoto's final line tells you everything: 3-0 record, 1.09 ERA across 17 2/3 innings. He struck out 15 Blue Jays and walked just two. Those feel almost like video game numbers on baseball's biggest stage.</p> <h2>That Game 2 Performance Changed Everything</h2> <p>Game 2 in Toronto was where Yamamoto really announced himself. A complete game, one run allowed, eight strikeouts. It was actually his second straight complete game in the playoffs, which feels almost anachronistic in modern baseball where starters rarely make it through seven innings, let alone nine.</p> <p>Here's the truly absurd part: the last 20 batters he faced were retired in order. Twenty consecutive outs. Toronto's dangerous lineup couldn't figure him out.</p> <h2>Then He Did It Again on Fumes</h2> <p>After that Game 2 masterpiece, Yamamoto came back in Game 6 with the Dodgers' season on the line. Six innings, one run. That forced Game 7, which is exactly what Los Angeles needed.</p> <p>But the really gutsy bit came in Game 7 itself. When extras arrived and the Dodgers were scrambling for anyone who could get outs, Yamamoto emerged from the bullpen on zero rest and threw 2 2/3 innings to save the season. That's not just skill—that's heart.</p> <h2>Building Quite the Trophy Cabinet</h2> <p>This MVP award slots in nicely alongside the hardware Yamamoto had already collected. Multiple consecutive MVPs. Several Eiji Sawamura awards. He's arguably the best credentialed pitcher in the world right now, though the one thing missing is a Cy Young.</p> <p>Plenty of people reckon he would've won one this year if he'd gotten any run support during the regular season. Hard to argue with that.</p> <p>Since his no-hitter bid got broken up on September 6 in Baltimore, Yamamoto had been absolutely electric. He'd established himself as the clear number one in a rotation already packed with quality arms.</p> <h2>That Contract Looks Pretty Smart Now</h2> <p>Remember when Yamamoto signed the largest pitching contract in baseball history without ever throwing a pitch in the majors? There was plenty of hand-wringing about whether anyone could possibly live up to that kind of money.</p> <p>Well, he's answered that question pretty definitively.</p> <h2>Started in Tokyo, Finished in Toronto</h2> <p>There's something fitting about how this all came together. Opening day was March 18 in Tokyo, with Yamamoto on the mound to kick off the season. Fast forward through eight months of baseball, and there he was getting the final outs in Canada as the Dodgers became the first team in a quarter century to defend their World Series title.</p> <p>From Japan to Canada, with a championship parade in between. Not a bad way to spend a year.</p>