Game 5 of the NLDS between the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres won't just decide who plays the New York Mets for the National League pennant. It will also feature some history.
Friday's decisive game will be the first matchup of Japanese-born starting pitchers in MLB postseason history, as Dodgers righty Yoshinobu Yamamoto will face Padres veteran Yu Darvish.
After spending seven seasons with the Orix Buffaloes in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball, Yamamoto teamed up with fellow countryman Shohei Ohtani by signing a 12-year, $325 million contract with the Dodgers. Yamamoto, 26, finished the regular season with a 7-2 record and 3.00 ERA in 18 starts.
On the other side, Darvish has been stateside since debuting with the Texas Rangers in 2012. He has played for four MLB teams -- including the Dodgers -- and has made five All-Star teams. The veteran, who turned 38 years old in August, went 7-3 with a 3.31 ERA across 16 starts in 2024.
Both Yamamoto and Darvish have already pitched in the Dodgers-Padres NLDS, but they did not face one another. Yamamoto got a no-decision in the Dodgers' Game 1 victory after he surrendered five runs in three innings. Darvish was lights out the following game, as he helped the Padres even the series in Game 2 with seven innings of one-run ball.
Between the regular season and postseason, the Dodgers are 1-2 in Yamamoto's starts against the Padres. Conversely, the Padres are 3-1 in Darvish's starts against his former team.
Yamamoto will take to the mound first on Friday with first pitch at Dodger Stadium set for 5:08 p.m. PT.
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