Two Japanese aces face off in Game 5 as the Dodgers and the Padres try to clinch a spot in the NLCS.
If you’re tuning in tonight for the Game 5 of the NLDS, I hope you get a doozy. On Wednesday, the Dodgers managed to stave off elimination using eight different relievers in a 8-0 win in Game 4. Now, with the series tied, 2-2, LA and San Diego are playing for all the marbles in Game 5.
With everything on the line, the Dodgers have decided to hand the game ball to the starter they invested $325 million in this winter, while the Padres are going with the tried-and-true veteran Yu Darvish, who has 12 postseason starts under his belt. This is, interestingly, the first-ever MLB postseason matchup featuring two Japanese-born starting pitchers.
Padres @ Dodgers, 8:08 pm, FOX – Series tied, 2-2
Starting Pitchers: Yu Darvish (1-0, 1.29 ERA, 3 K) v. Yoshinobu Yamamoto (0-0, 15.00 ERA, 1 K)
Although the rookie Yoshinobu Yamamoto had a strong season, going 7-2 with a 3.00 ERA in 18 starts, he missed a couple of months with a right shoulder injury, and got rocked by the Padres in NLDS Game 1, allowing five runs over three innings. The Dodgers thought he might be tipping his pitches, and since, manager Dave Roberts says he’s “cleaned stuff up.”
Still, the decision is not without risk. The Padres were one of the only teams that handled Yamamoto easily both times they faced him this season, scoring five runs against him in his first start in the Majors in Seoul, Korea, and three runs over five innings in his second start against them.
Meanwhile, the 38-year-old Darvish tossed a brilliant start against the Dodgers this series, going seven innings with just one run allowed on three hits.
I know who I’m rooting for, and it’s definitely not the boys in blue. What about you, CamdenChatters?