Shohei Ohtani's childhood hero Yu Darvish stands in the way of Dodgers' postseason dreams

All Shohei Ohtani has ever wanted out of his MLB career is a chance. A shot at competing for a title.

He made a bet that heading down the road and playing for the Dodgers would get him closer to that than he’s ever been. It turns out that bet was right — this is the closest he’s ever been.

Ohtani and the Dodgers are just one win away from the NLCS heading into a decisive Game 5 against the Padres. Now, the only thing that stands in the way of Ohtani inching a little closer to his dream is his childhood hero.

When the Dodgers’ star steps into the batter’s box on Friday, he’ll be going up against Yu Darvish.

DARVISH VS. YAMAMOTO: The two aces are set to make history for Japanese pitchers when they take the mound.

Ohtani grew up watching the former Nippon Ham Fighters’ ace as a kid before embarking on his journey in professional baseball. On Sunday, when Darvish last pitched against LA, Ohtani described the pitcher as his “childhood hero” and said he’d hoped to see him and Yoshinobu Yamamoto pitch against one another.

Shohei Ohtani called Yu Darvish his “childhood hero.” He said he wanted to see him go against Yamamoto in Game 2, but is still excited and honored to step in the box and face him in Game 2 on Sunday. #Dodgers #NLDS

— Michael J. Duarte (@michaeljduarte) October 4, 2024

That dream comes true for Ohtani tonight.

Ohtani’s reverence for Darvish hasn’t made a difference to the ace. He’s shown no mercy when lining up across from Ohtani. So far, the Dodgers star has batted 1-8 against his idol in his career, according to MLB.com, including a 0-3 showing against him on Sunday.

If Ohtani can turn things around, his dream of winning a championship remains alive. If not? He’ll have plenty more opportunities to watch his idol from the couch again over these next few weeks.