Yoshinobu Yamamoto stretches in the outfield at Dodger Stadium on Friday, as he prepares to start Game 1 of the National League Division Series against the San Diego Padres on Saturday. Yamamoto was originally scheduled to begin Game 2, but will take the ball in the opener.
Shohei Ohtani and the Dodgers are looking to turn the 2022 tables on San Diego in the NLDS.
By MIKEY HIRANO CULROSS
RAFU SPORTS EDITOR
(Published Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024)
Shohei Ohtani might have been trying to conceal his excitement, but the thrill of the moment still managed to peek through.
“It’s always been my childhood dream to be able to be in an important situation, to play in important games,” the Dodgers star said on Friday, one day before his first-ever appearance in a major league post-season game. “I think the excitement of that is greater than anything else that I could possibly feel.”
The Dodgers and San Diego Padres were holding relatively casual workouts, one day before they meet in the National League Division Series.
In six seasons with the Angels, Ohtani never had the chance to experience the playoffs, so this is as special for the star as it it for the fans.
“I do think that the postseason is going to be different from the World Baseball Classic, considering that we have had a week off. So I’m doing the best I can to make sure that my first at-bat is really good,” he said
Last year, Ohtani provided the most exciting moment in the history of the WBC, when as the closing pitcher for Team Japan, he struck out then-Angels teammate Mike Trout of the USA for the last out in the final game.
This year’s NLDS has the added intensity of pitting L.A. against their rivals to the south, the emergent Padres, who would like nothing better than to spoil the party for the Dodgers and their lofty expectations.
The teams last met in 2022, when the Padres – and a wayward goose – stunned the Dodgers into an early playoff exit, so there may well be some desire for a little payback.
“I think ‘unfinished business’ is something that resonates with our guys,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said on Friday. “I talk about it, but we’ve got to go out there and be about it – talk about the edge, the fight, but I really do feel that’s the mindset that we’re coming into. It’s an edgy group right now, which I think is a good thing.”
L.A. is favored in the series that begins Saturday at Dodger Stadium, even though they were forced to navigate a host of pitching injuries throughout the regular season, notably in the second half. A huge part of their 2024 pitching plan, Tyler Glasnow, is out for the season with an elbow injury.
Still, the pitching has been good enough to stay competitive with an offense that boasts Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman at the top of their lineup.
Roberts said any team that has a Shohei Ohtani at its disposal will always be a force to respect.
“He’s the most talented hitter on the field. He can change the game in a lot of different ways,” Roberts explained. “Even if he were to get on base by way of walk, he can steal a base. He can score from first. He can hit a homer. He’s shown the ability in this last month to use the whole field, to get a hit if he needs to. He can drive in runs.
“That’s what we’re getting. I agree with you in the sense that he’s played in a lot of big ball games, and I think it’s more for us as fans to see that it’s something that’s new to him to see how it plays out.”
Roberts added that the brightest lights on the biggest stage won’t faze Ohtani, who had plenty of playoff experience in Japan.
“If there’s any person that I feel that’s going to be able to handle this, it’s certainly Shohei. I think he just brings a next-level mega star to our ballclub.”
Yoshinobu Yamamoto, originally tapped to start the second game in the best-of-five NLDS, has been moved to take the ball in Game 1 on Saturday night. After a disastrous start in the first game of the regular season against the Padres in Seoul, Yamamoto missed several weeks of the season with a shoulder issue, but has shown effectiveness in the latter part of the season.
He was particularly sharp against the Yankees in New York, striking out seven batters in as many innings, as the Dodgers won in 11 innings.
He hopes to bring that form into the playoffs.
“I like to focus on, of course, winning, and I want to get myself ready to go out there with a good condition, physically and mentally,” he said. “And also I have experience in the big game, but this is my first MLB playoff. So it’s going to be a big one because I’m going to try to do my best to contribute for the team.”
Yamamoto will face a potent San Diego lineup that includes Fernando Tatis, Jr., Manny Machado and a surprisingly heavy-hitting catcher in Kyle Higashioka. The Huntington Beach native clubbed two home runs in the Padres’ wildcard series win in two games over the Atlanta Braves.
“This is what October is all about,” Higashioka told The Rafu during his team’s final regular season games last month at Dodger Stadium. “This is where the game gets really fun.”
Ohtani had hoped to see Yamamoto go head-to-head with Padres ace Yu Darvish, but that pitching matchup hasn’t materialized.
“Darvish has been my childhood hero. He’s somebody that I’ve seen him play in Japan and obviously in Major League Baseball,” he said. “My personal hope was that Darvish would have faced against Yoshinobu. Obviously that’s not going to happen this time around, but I’m very honored and excited to be able to face him.”