The Los Angeles Dodgers secured a 2-0 win over the San Diego Padres in Game 5 to avoid an upset in the NLDS for the third consecutive year. This victory marked the first postseason series win for Shohei Ohtani in his MLB career. Japanese-born starters Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Yu Darvish faced off in a historic playoff matchup, with Yamamoto allowing just two hits over five innings before being pulled. Home runs from Kiké Hernández and Teoscar Hernández propelled the Dodgers to victory and into the National League Championship Series against the New York Mets.
The Dodgers triumphed in a decisive Game 5 at home for the first time since 1981, after avoiding a third straight NLDS elimination following a season split due to a players’ strike. With the best regular-season record in the majors at 98-64, the Dodgers were able to thwart the Padres, whose big hitters struggled in the series decider. San Diego’s key players, including Luis Arraez, Fernando Tatis Jr., Jurickson Profar, and Manny Machado, went just 1 for 14 in Game 5 as the Dodgers pitchers retired the last 19 batters. The Padres failed to score a run in the final 24 innings of the series, ultimately losing the last two games after initially taking a 2-1 lead.
Yamamoto and Darvish made history as the first Japanese-born starting pitchers to face off in a major league playoff game. The matchup featured the 26-year-old rookie Yamamoto as just the fifth rookie to start a winner-take-all game in Dodgers history. Darvish, a childhood idol of Ohtani, allowed an early home run to Kiké Hernández before setting down 14 in a row. Teoscar Hernández’s homer ultimately chased Darvish from the game in the seventh inning, solidifying the Dodgers’ 2-0 lead. The game featured a tense pitching battle that saw the Padres and Dodgers combine to retire 26 consecutive batters, marking the longest streak in postseason history.
The NLCS will see the Dodgers square off against the New York Mets in a best-of-seven series starting in Los Angeles. The sellout crowd of 53,183 at the decisive Game 5 included sports and entertainment figures such as LeBron James, Brad Pitt, Rob Lowe, Bryan Cranston, and Jimmy Kimmel. The Dodgers, making their 16th NLCS appearance overall and first since 2021, will look to avenge their previous year’s loss to Atlanta. Meanwhile, the Padres head into the offseason with optimism for the future, having challenged the Dodgers for the NL West title down to the final days of the regular season. The teams combined to score 43 runs in the first five games of the series, but the finale showcased a tense pitching showdown that ultimately favored the Dodgers.
In the midst of the intense competition, there was a friendly rivalry between Ohtani and Darvish, who had previously teamed up to help Japan win the World Baseball Classic. However, in this playoff matchup, Ohtani struck out three times, including twice against Darvish, in a game that was watched closely by baseball fans in Japan. Despite the Padres’ early lead in the series, the Dodgers and their strong pitching ultimately emerged victorious, securing their spot in the NLCS and setting the stage for an exciting matchup against the Mets. With a mix of seasoned veterans and emerging stars, both teams will look to seize the opportunity to advance further in the postseason and ultimately compete for a World Series title.
