Yamamoto delivered the start of his young career in the Dodgers’ 2-0 victory over the San Diego Padres, pitching five innings with just two hits, one walk and zero earned runs and sending L.A. to the NLCS for the first time since 2021.

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.

After the success of their bullpen game in a must-win Game 4, the Dodgers are considering all options for Game 5 – including starting Yamamoto or having him follow an opener.