Yoshinobu Yamamoto outshone Yu Darvish in a historic playoff showdown between Japanese-born starters, leading the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 2-0 victory over the San Diego Padres on Friday. The Dodgers advanced to the National League Championship Series thanks to home runs from Kiké Hernández and Teoscar Hernández. Yamamoto allowed just two hits over five innings before being relieved after 63 pitches in the decisive Game 5 between NL West rivals who met in a Division Series for the third time in five years.
Shohei Ohtani and the Dodgers will face the wild-card New York Mets in the best-of-seven NLCS, starting Sunday night in Los Angeles. This marks the first time the Dodgers have won a decisive Game 5 at home since their 1981 NL Division Series victory against Houston, following a season split due to a players’ strike. With a regular-season record of 98-64, the best in the majors, the Dodgers successfully avoided a third consecutive NLDS elimination.
Post-game, Kiké Hernández, the Puerto Rican veteran making his eighth playoff appearance with the Dodgers, made headlines during a live interview when he responded to a question about the team’s unique qualities with: “The fact that we don’t give a fuck.” The Padres’ star hitters struggled under pressure, with Luis Arraez, Fernando Tatis Jr, Jurickson Profar, and Manny Machado combining for a 1 for 14 performance in Game 5.
San Diego went scoreless for the final 24 innings of the series, losing the last two games after leading 2-1. Yamamoto and Darvish made history as the first Japanese-born starting pitchers to face off in a major league playoff game. The 26-year-old Yamamoto became the fifth rookie in Dodgers history to start a winner-take-all game. He handed the ball to a formidable bullpen that supported the team during the regular season amid starter injuries.
Evan Phillips secured five outs, striking out Profar and Machado in the seventh before Alex Vesia fanned rookie standout Jackson Merrill to end the inning. Vesia exited with an injury before Michael Kopech and Blake Treinen sealed the victory. Darvish, a childhood idol of Ohtani, allowed an early home run to Kiké Hernández before settling down, but Teoscar Hernández’s seventh-inning homer made it 2-0 and ended Darvish’s night.
The Padres and Dodgers combined to retire 26 consecutive batters, setting a new postseason record. Darvish gave up two runs and three hits over six and two-thirds innings, striking out four and walking one. Ohtani, who hit a tying three-run homer in Game 1, was mostly quiet thereafter, becoming the first player to reach 50 homers and 50 stolen bases in a season. The series finale was a tense pitching duel in front of a sellout crowd that included celebrities like LeBron James and Hollywood stars.
The Padres failed to score after the second inning of Game 3, ending the series on a low note. Yamamoto’s fielding prowess at first base eased the pressure on All-Star Freddie Freeman, who returned after missing Game 4 with an ankle injury. Kiké Hernández’s second-inning home run gave the Dodgers a 1-0 lead, marking his 14th career postseason homer. His impact this season has been significant, though his future with the FCC remains uncertain.
