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There are currently 11 Japanese-born players in the Major Leagues. Three of them are going head-to-head in a season-determining Game 5 of the NLDS.
The Dodgers announced Thursday that right-handed pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto will start in Friday’s game against the Padres. San Diego’s right-hander Yu Darvish will take the mound for the Padres.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto will start Game 5 of the NLDS. pic.twitter.com/Tu2971eSXk
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) October 11, 2024
Born in Japanese towns just a two-hour drive apart, the Dodgers’ rookie and Padres’ five-time MLB All-Star hold the fate of their respective teams in their hands. Both pitchers have made one start this postseason, with Yamamoto starting Game 1 and Darvish starting Game 2. Each of their respective teams won the game when Yamamoto or Darvish started.
Yamamoto, 26, made his regular season and postseason debuts against the Padres. Despite allowing five runs across three innings in Game 1 of the NLDS, the Dodgers bullpen and offense came in to save the day. The relievers kept the Padres off the scoreboard for the remainder of the game. Meanwhile, the offense came back from a three-run deficit, scoring seven total runs.
Although Yamamoto’s postseason debut accounted for all of the Padres’ runs in Game 1, he has had promising outings throughout the regular season. Yamamoto logged a 3.00 ERA with 105 strikeouts and 22 walks in 18 appearances.
Los Angeles has relied heavily on its bullpen, which worked for the Dodgers in Game 4. On Wednesday, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts utilized a total of eight pitchers across nine innings.
While some Padres players found this strategy to be annoying, the final score proved the method to be effective as San Diego went scoreless. It would not be surprising to see the Dodgers use a similar strategy in Friday's game. This time, though, Yamamoto will at least start things off.
For San Diego, Darvish had a more dominant outing in Game 2 when the Padres defeated the Dodgers, 10-2, to tie the series. The 2020 All-MLB First-Team selection accrued a 1.29 ERA, allowing one run and three hits across seven innings.
In addition to Yamamoto and Darvish, the third Japanese-born player stepping onto the field in Game 5 is Dodgers desginated hitter Shohei Ohtani. In his first season with Los Angeles, Ohtani has established himself as one of the best baseball players of all time and will likely become the first DH to win the NL MVP.
Regardless of the outcome of Game 5, watching three of 11 Japanese-born players in the league take the stage of a season-determining game is monumental.
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