TORONTO (Reuters) -Japanese pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto was named Most Valuable Player of baseball’s World Series early on Sunday after leading the Los Angeles Dodgers to a repeat championship.

Yamamoto forced the decisive seventh game of the World Series with a solid outing against the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday and pitched the final 2-2/3 innings of the clinching game without allowing a single run.

The Japanese right-hander secured the win for the Dodgers when, with runners on first and third and one out, he got Alejandro Kirk to ground into a season-ending and championship-clinching double play.

“I was not sure if I could pitch tonight until I went to the bullpen,” Yamamoto said through a translator after being named MVP. “But I’m glad I was able to.”

In his 17-2/3 innings over the

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