The Dodgers turned to Yamamoto against Darvish in the G5

LOS ANGELES — Yoshinobu Yamamoto will start in Game 5 of the National League Division Series for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Japanese star Shohei Ohtani has openly claimed, with a matchup against San Diego Padres right-hander Yu Darvish.

According to ESPN Research, Friday night's Yamamoto vs. Darvish winner-take-all game from Dodger Stadium will mark the first matchup of Japanese-born starting pitchers in MLB postseason history.

Yamamoto could have pitched against Darvish in Sunday's Game 2, but the Dodgers used Yamamoto in the opener and went with Jack Flaherty instead. Both were available for Game 5, when Dodgers manager Dave Roberts also threw out the possibility of a bullpen game and was still undecided about the team's plans during Thursday's workout.

Yamamoto, Roberts said, was “very comfortable” with the idea of ​​coming out of the bullpen, but the Dodgers ultimately chose to start him. Still, his warranty will likely be short. Yamamoto was charged with five runs in three innings against the Padres in Game 1, and the Dodgers — coming off a Game 4 victory in which eight relievers combined for a shutout — will likely turn to their bullpen at the first sign of trouble.

Darvish pitched seven innings of one-run ball out of Dodger Stadium in Game 2 and has held Ohtani to one hit in eight at-bats this season, striking him out three times. At the start of the NLDS, Ohtani called Darvish his “boyhood hero” and said that he had “a personal hope that Darvish would face . [off] against Yoshinobu.”

He will fulfill his wish now.

Asked what stood out about his at-bat against Darvish on Thursday, Ohtani, speaking through an interpreter, said: “Obviously he's a really good pitcher and pitched well against us. I think he's very crafty, too, so there's not a specific.” Things that are really different but personally I'm really excited that he's probably going to face Yoshinobu.”