Dodgers Interview: Smith on Yamamoto’s lack of Command & his ex-teammate’s “funky” delivery
“It was just one of those nights."
LOS ANGELES — After the Dodgers’ 7–3 loss to the Yankees on Sunday, catcher Will Smith offered his thoughts on the night’s biggest storylines—Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s uncharacteristic start, the challenge of facing former teammate Ryan Yarbrough, and the broader takeaway from a hard-fought weekend series.
Speaking about Yamamoto, who lasted just 3 2/3 innings and gave up four runs, Smith pointed to a familiar problem: command with two strikes. “Getting strike one, not putting guys away with two strikes,” Smith said. “It happens. I expect him to come out his next start and dial it in, like I’ve caught from him before.”
The Dodgers’ backstop acknowledged Yamamoto wasn’t as sharp as usual but expressed full confidence in his rebound. “It was just one of those nights,” he added.
On the other side, Smith had the rare task of facing former teammate Ryan Yarbrough, a pitcher he knows well. Despite that familiarity, the lefty kept the Dodgers off balance with his signature funk and offspeed-heavy approach.
“Yeah, it’s funky,” Smith said when asked about picking up Yarbrough’s delivery. “He gave them a little momentum. They jumped on us early, some long innings. He did a good job attacking us and keeping us off balance.”
Adjusting to Yarbrough’s low-velocity, high-deception style was a challenge after seeing mid-90s velocity all series. “It’s still tough,” Smith explained. “He’s been doing this a while. Even though he’s throwing soft—he might’ve touched 90 today—he got the best of us.”
And while facing Yarbrough might have come with a strategic edge—Smith has caught him before—it didn’t help much on Sunday. “I have a good feel for what he likes to do,” he said. “Just didn’t work out for us today.”
Still, Smith wasn’t hanging his head after the loss. The Dodgers won the first two games of the series decisively, and Smith was quick to highlight the bigger picture. “We played good baseball the first two days. Today, they played a little better than us,” he said. “We still fought back and stayed in it until the end. Just getting ready for tomorrow now.”
The Dodgers may have dropped the finale, but the message from the clubhouse was clear: win the series, learn from the loss, and move forward.
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