The Los Angeles Dodgers have advanced to the National League Championship Series.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto and four relievers combined on a two–hitter as the Dodgers defeated the San Diego Padres 2-0 in Game 5 of the NL Division Series on Friday, October 11 at Dodger Stadium.
The Dodgers reached the NLCS for the second straight year. Game 1 of the NLCS, Dodgers vs the visiting New York Mets, is on Sunday.
In the first-ever matchup of Japanese starting pitchers in an MLB playoff game, Yamamoto outdeuled San Diego's Yu Darvish before an announced crowd of 53,183.
Yamamoto, making his second start of the series, held the punchless Padres to two hits in five innings. He walked one and struck out two. Relievers Evan Phillips, Alex Vesia, Michael Kopech and Blake Treinen followed.
It was a banner performance for Yamamoto in a high-stakes environment, and the three-time Eiji Sawamura Award winner made the Dodgers' lucrative investment in him (12 years, $325 million USD, or ¥48 billion JPY) return to the spotlight.
Yamamoto, the former Orix Buffaloes ace who was 7-2 with a 3.00 ERA in 18 regular-season starts, was sharp in this win-or-go-home environment on this night.
"I'm really happy that I was able to do my job and help the team win. I was able to locate my pitches well inside the strike zone from the first inning," Yamamoto said after the game, according to Kyodo News.
"On a personal note, I'm happy I was able to pitch at the same time [as Darvish] in such a big game."
Ohtani Bats .200 Against the Padres
NL home-run and RBI leader Shohei Ohtani, who became the first player in MLB history with 50 or more homers and 50 or more steals in the same season, was not a big factor against the Padres. He batted .200 (4-for-20, including a homer in the series opener) with 10 strikeouts in the NLDS.
Ohtani, playing in his first MLB playoff series, was hitless in four at-bats in Game 5.
The Dodgers Slug a Pair of Homers off Darvish
The NL West Division-winning Dodgers finished with four hits in the low-scoring game, with solo home runs by Kike Hernandez to center in the second inning and Teoscar Hernandez to left in the seventh, sealed the victory.
Darvish gave up both homers and took the loss. He left the game trailing 2-0 after 6⅔ innings. Darvish allowed three hits, issued one walk and fanned four.
Although the Padres fell short of their goal of extending their season, Darvish acknowledged that pitching against Yamamoto was a special night in his long career.
"It was awesome to be able to pitch with him, to share the mound on such a big stage," Darvish told reporters through an interpreter, according to The Associated Press. "He's not just a great pitcher, but he is a great human being, too. It was a great night for both of us."
The Padres' batting woes continued in the series finale. San Diego closed out the series with 24 scoreless innings.
Meticulous preparation paid off for Yamamoto and his teammates.
"We had a couple of meetings, how to attack because this is a great lineup," Yamamoto told a news conference. "And then also, again, like I said earlier on, I was just getting focused on getting myself ready for today."
Redemption for Yamamoto
In Game 1 of the best-of-five NLDS in his first MLB postseason start, Yamamoto allowed five hits and five runs in three innings on Saturday, October 5. The Dodgers rallied for a 7-5 victory in the series opener.
Darvish was the Game 2 winner on Sunday, October 6 in the Padres' 10-2 rout. The 38-year-old starter pitched seven innings of one-run ball, limiting LA to three hits.
In getting the call to start the series finale, Yamamoto received an opportunity to make amends for his Game 1 struggles.
"The last outing, I didn't do my job well," Yamamoto told reporters after Game 5. "So I tried to get myself ready for today's game, resting."
In the third inning, Kyle Higashioka and three-time NL batting champion Luis Arraez had back-to-back, one-out singles singles. Yamamoto quelled the scoring threat, getting Fernando Tatis Jr to hit into a 5-4-3 double play to end the inning.
A Manager's Perspective
In his rapid-fire analysis of the pressure that Yamamoto faced as the Game 5 starter, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts summed it up this way: "For Yamamoto, I don't think any of us can appreciate the pressure on a global scale. He was pitching for the country of Japan."
RELATED:
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- A 50-50 Season! Shohei Ohtani Achieves Historic Feat
- Yoshinobu Yamamoto Makes Impressive Return in 1st MLB Start Since Mid-June
Author: Ed Odeven
Find Ed on JAPAN Forward's dedicated website, SportsLook. Follow his [Japan Sports Notebook] on Sundays, [Odds and Evens] during the week, and X (formerly Twitter) ＠ed_odeven.
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