The San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers have announced their starting pitchers for Game 5 of the National League Division Series, with the winner advancing to the MLB Championship Series.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto will start for the Dodgers, while Yu Darvish will take the mound for the Padres.

This historic matchup will mark the first-ever postseason duel between Japanese pitchers in MLB history, taking place at Dodger Stadium.

You might also be interested in its Spanish version: Define Dodgers y Padres sus abridores para el Juego 5

The showdown between the two Japanese aces was originally anticipated for Game 2 of the series, but the Dodgers opted to use Yamamoto in Game 1, and Jack Flaherty took the mound for them in Game 2.

Both teams have emphasized the possibility of using a bullpen game strategy, where multiple pitchers are used instead of a single designated starter. This approach was employed in Game 4, when the Dodgers used eight relievers.

In Game 1, Yamamoto allowed five runs in three innings against the Padres, a game the Dodgers ultimately won 7-5.

In Game 2, Darvish delivered a strong performance, pitching seven innings and allowing only one run at Dodger Stadium. The Padres won that game 10-2.