Yoshinobu Yamamoto emerged from Shohei Ohtani's large shadow on Saturday and stepped to the forefront to give the Los Angeles Dodgers a commanding lead in the World Series.

Yamamoto, in his first MLB season after starring for the Orix Buffaloes in the Pacific League, gave up one hit into the seventh inning, while Teoscar Hernandez and Freddie Freeman hit back-to-back home runs, and the Dodgers secured a 4-2 victory over the visiting New York Yankees on Saturday to take a 2-0 World Series lead.

"I was trying to focus on facing one hitter at a time," Yamamoto said through an interpreter. "So I was able to throw the strike when I wanted, and I was able to (concentrate on) the hitters one at a time."