"The whole country of Japan - 125+ million will be watching" - Fans excited as Japanese stars Yoshinobu Yamamoto & Yu Darvish face off in NLDS Game 5
The biggest game on the West Coast will be spearheaded by two Japanese pitchers. Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Yu Darvish will start winners-take-all NLDS Games 5 between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Diego Padres in Chavez Ravine.
This will mark only the eighth time in MLB history that two Japanese-born pitchers will start a game. The last time it happened was when Darvish started the game against the New York Yankees, who had Hiroki Kuroda on the mound.
After both teams announced their starters for Friday's game, fans were excited already.
"The whole country of Japan - 125+ million will be watching 🇯🇵" one fan commented.
"This will be a game for the ages," one posted.
Fans were distributed on whom to go for a win. Some highlighted Yu Darvish's postseason failure in the past, while others think Yamamoto isn't ready for this stage yet.
"Darvish never shows up in elimination games 💀" one user wrote.
"Darvish got one more in him," another added.
"Yu Can do it," another wrote.
"game 7 flashbacks," one referenced the past.
Some were cheering for Yamamoto.
"Yamamoto is going to outduel Darvish," one fan posted.
"YAMASHITSHOW GONNA BE THROWING MEATBALLS DOWN THE PLATE," another added.
How did Yu Darvish and Yoshinobu Yamamoto perform in their last starts?
Both Yu Darvish and Yoshinobu Yamamoto started games previously in this NLDS showdown.
Yamamoto started Game 1 for the Dodgers, pitching 3.0 inning, allowing five hits, five earned runs and only one strikeout. Yamamoto, who signed a 12-year, $325 million deal in the offseason, has no prior experience of pitching in the postseason.
Meanwhile, Darvish started Game 2 for the Padres, pitching a gem, throwing 7.0 innings, allowing three hits, one earned run and three strikeouts. Darvish, who has been in the league since 2012, has a 5-6 record with an ERA of 3.88 and 57 strikeouts in 12 postseason appearances.
With game on the line, the near future of the Dodgers and the Padres more or less rests on the shoulders of these two Japanese aces.
Take your pick and share your thoughts on who will emerge triumphant in the much anticipated NLDS Game 5 clash.