Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto was denied a chance at a perfect game on Saturday by one of the most routine errors you will ever see.
Yamamoto retired the first 23 batters he faced in order Saturday against the Chicago White Sox at Rate Field in Chicago, Ill. He did more than enough to make it 24 in a row, as infielder Chase Meidroth hit a weak ground ball to shortstop with two out in the bottom of the eighth inning.
Betts somehow misplayed the ball that was hit right to him. Meidroth reached on the error, and Yamamoto’s quest for perfection was over through no fault of his own.
Yamamoto's Perfect Game comes to an end on an error from Mookie Betts pic.twitter.com/ZbQq5Vo96n
— Talkin' Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) June 13, 2026
Yamamoto was able to get out of the eighth with his no-hitter intact. He wound up losing that in the ninth inning on a solo home run by Tristan Peters.
The loss of the no-hitter probably won’t make Betts feel any better about his error. The Dodgers moved him from the outfield to shortstop in 2024, and while he has not been awful, he has produced some ugly moments before. This was about as easy a play as he was going to get, and he blew it.
Betts has not been the same player for two years running now. He is hitting just .181 with six home runs so far this season.
