When Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts spoke to the media at his scheduled session Thursday afternoon, he did not have a starting pitcher chosen for Game 5 of the National League Division Series on Friday.

The Dodgers and the Padres then conducted their workouts, with only one side (at most) knowing who would start the winner-take-all game in the best-of-five series.

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Then, late Thursday night, the Dodgers issued the announcement via social media: Yoshinobu Yamamoto would start their most important game of the season.

With Yu Darvish previously scheduled to start for San Diego, the matchup suddenly became historic. It’s the first time two Japanese-born pitchers have started opposite one another in a major league postseason game. And the stakes couldn’t be higher.

Darvish, 38, is no stranger to high-stakes games at Dodger Stadium. He started the decisive Game 7 of the 2017 World Series against the Houston Astros and floundered, allowing five runs while recording only five outs. The Astros won, 5-1.

Yamamoto, though technically a rookie, has postseason experience from his time in NPB, Japan’s highest league. The 26-year-old signed a 12-year, $325 million contract — the most money ever given a pitcher — with Los Angeles in Dec. 2023.

Fox will broadcast the game at 8:08 p.m. Eastern Time. The winner will move on to host the Mets in Game 1 of the NL Championship Series on Monday.

Both Darvish (groin, neck, elbow) and Yamamoto (shoulder) missed time this season due to injuries. Darvish went 7-3 with a 3.31 ERA in 16 starts. He faced the Dodgers three times during the regular season, going 1-0 with a 1.73 ERA.

Los Angeles Dodgers Yoshinobu Yamamoto
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – OCTOBER 05: Yoshinobu Yamamoto #18 of the Los Angeles Dodgers walks to the dugout after the third inning against the San Diego Padres in Game One of the Division Series at…
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – OCTOBER 05: Yoshinobu Yamamoto #18 of the Los Angeles Dodgers walks to the dugout after the third inning against the San Diego Padres in Game One of the Division Series at Dodger Stadium on October 05, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. Yamamoto will start Game 5, making history in the process.

Harry How/Getty Images

Darvish limited the Dodgers to one run over seven innings in Game 2 of the NLDS at Dodger Stadium. The Padres, ostensibly, are hoping he can recapture that magic. However, that will require that Darvish excel on four days’ rest, something he has not done in 2024, posting a 6.43 ERA across four starts.

Yamamoto is working on five days’ rest; he has typically had six days rest between starts, in keeping with the schedule he observed in NPB from 2017-23. He allowed five runs in three innings against the Padres in Game 1, which could leave him relatively rested for a longer outing in Game 5.

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However, the Dodgers have been conservative with Yamamoto all year. They have not allowed him to throw more than five innings or 80 pitches on five days’ rest since he returned from the shoulder injury.

Yamamoto has never faced off against Darvish. He went 7-2 with a 3.00 ERA in 90 innings in the regular season.

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