LOS ANGELES -- Yoshinobu Yamamoto will start for the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 5 of the National League Division Series, pitching against San Diego Padres right-hander Yu Darvish in a matchup fellow Japanese star Shohei Ohtani has openly clamored for.
Yamamoto versus Darvish in a winner-take-all game from Dodger Stadium on Friday night will mark the first matchup of Japanese-born starting pitchers in MLB postseason history, according to ESPN Research.
Yamamoto could have pitched against Darvish in Sunday's Game 2, but the Dodgers used Yamamoto in the opener and instead went with Jack Flaherty. Both were available for Game 5, while Dodgers manager Dave Roberts also threw out the possibility of a bullpen game and was still undecided about the team's plans during Thursday's workout.
Yamamoto versus Darvish in a winner-take-all game from Dodger Stadium on Friday night will mark the first matchup of Japanese-born starting pitchers in MLB postseason history, according to ESPN Research.
Yamamoto could have pitched against Darvish in Sunday's Game 2, but the Dodgers used Yamamoto in the opener and instead went with Jack Flaherty. Both were available for Game 5, while Dodgers manager Dave Roberts also threw out the possibility of a bullpen game and was still undecided about the team's plans during Thursday's workout.
