Game 5 of the NLDS between the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres will feature an all-Japanese pitching matchup.
The Dodgers made an announcement Thursday night, naming Yoshinobu Yamamoto as the starter.
Meanwhile, the Padres have taken advantage of Yu Darvish to start in the winner-take-all matchup on Friday night at Dodger Stadium.
“I'm very excited that maybe he'll face Yoshinobu and potentially see Darvish,” Ohtani said earlier Thursday through an interpreter.
Ohtani had been anticipating the matchup early in the series, when Yoshinobu was scheduled to start Game 2 against Darvish. But the Dodgers traded Yoshinobu to Game 1.
Darvish allowed one run and three hits, all singles, in seven innings in the Padres' 10-2 victory in Game 2. He confused Dodger hitters by using seven different pitches and mixing speeds. He and Yamamoto are good friends, while Darvish was Ohtani's childhood idol.
“Just for us to be able to go out and pitch on the same day, a playoff game, I think it means a lot,” Darvish said through an interpreter.
Darvish was last on the mound at Dodger Stadium for an elimination game in the 2017 World Series. He started Game 7 for the Dodgers against the Houston Astros. After just 47 pitches, the Astros led by five runs and won the championship.
“I don't focus on that moment,” Darvish said. “But perhaps it is the experience I have accumulated until today that makes me feel calm at this moment.”
Yamamato has allowed a combined 13 earned runs in three starts against the Padres this season. They jumped on the 26-year-old right-hander for three runs, including a two-run homer by Manny Machado, in the first inning of Game 1.
“It is simply a lack of command. When he hasn’t dominated baseball, he hasn’t been as good,” Roberts said. “But when he's convinced and attacks hitters with his pitch combination, he's as good as anyone.”
Yamamoto is the highest-paid pitcher in the majors. He signed a 12-year, $325 million contract with the Dodgers in December, after being drafted by Ohtani, who earned his record 10-year, $700 million contract with the team earlier that month.
Yamamoto allowed a season-high five runs in Game 1, and seven of the 16 batters he faced reached base. Roberts later mentioned that the rookie may have been tilting his pitches.
“I think we've cleaned things up,” Roberts said, “and, to their credit, they did a good job scouting and stuff like that. But I think overall, where Yoshinobu is, I feel really comfortable.”
Watch Game 5 on Sportsnet and Sportsnet+ starting at 7:30 pm ET / 4:30 pm PT.
– with files from Related Press
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