Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto have been friends since they played in Japan’s top baseball league. Now, they are making their playoff debuts in Major League Baseball with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Together, they won a gold medal for Japan in last year’s World Baseball Classic. Their next goal is to win a World Series championship together.
“The experience back in Japan, Japan Series and the World Baseball Classic, other big games will definitely help,” Yamamoto said Friday through an interpreter. “And I’d like to utilize it.”
Yamamoto will start Game 1 of the National League Division Series on Saturday against Dylan Cease and the San Diego Padres, their rival. The Dodgers managed to win the NL West title for the 11th time in 12 years at the end of the regular season, despite San Diego winning eight out of twelve games against them.
“I’m sure there’s bigger hype and excitement playing against a division rival,” Ohtani said through an interpreter.
Japan has a significant presence in this best-of-five series, featuring San Diego’s Yu Darvish facing his old team in Game 2 on Sunday. Darvish was Ohtani’s childhood hero.
“My personal hope was that Darvish would have faced against Yoshinobu,” Ohtani said. “Obviously that’s not going to happen this time around, but I’m very honored and excited to be able to face him.”
Yamamoto was supposed to pitch Game 2, but the Dodgers switched him and Jack Flaherty in the lineup. Flaherty will start on Sunday.
Ohtani signed a record $700 million, 10-year contract with the Dodgers last December, moving from the Los Angeles Angels, where he spent six difficult seasons. He played a big role in convincing Yamamoto to join the Dodgers. Yamamoto signed a $325 million, 12-year deal just a few weeks after Ohtani changed teams.
