Padres' Yu Darvish and Dodgers' Yoshinobu Yamamoto make MLB postseason history for Japanese pitchers

The Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres will face off in an elimination game at Dodger Stadium in Game 5 of the NLDS.

San Diego will send Yu Darvish to the mound while Los Angeles will have rookie Yoshinobu Yamamoto pitching in front of the home crowd. Darvish (7-3, 3.31 ERA) and Yamamoto (7-2, 3.00 ERA) both have excellent arms and will attempt to win the series for their squads.

This game is incredibly important as both franchises hope to secure a spot in the NLCS, but it is also significant for another reason. It is actually the first time in MLB history that two starting pitchers born in Japan will face off in the postseason.

Tonight will be the first matchup in MLB postseason history between two Japanese-born starting pitchers! pic.twitter.com/IxqKk2qdSF

— Codify (@CodifyBaseball) October 11, 2024

Of course, the stakes are incredibly high for both organizations.

But this is also an incredibly cool moment for Darvish and Yamamoto, who were teammates for Japan during the 2023 World Baseball Classic when their nation won a gold medal.