Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers said Friday that he is looking forward to facing one of his childhood baseball idols, Yu Darvish of the San Diego Padres, in the National League Divisional Series.
“Darvish was a star player when I was little,” Ohtani said at a news conference at Dodger Stadium a day before Game 1 of the best-of-five series on Saturday. “I’ve watched him on TV ever since and he was one of the players I looked up to.”
Ohtani dreamed of competing against baseball star Darvish
Ohtani said his only disappointment is that Dodgers right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto won’t start against Darvish. Yamamoto is scheduled for Game 1, Darvish for Game 2.
“The chance to face Darvish in the postseason is really a big deal for me. Personally, I was hoping to see him throw against Yoshinobu, but that probably won’t happen, so I’ll just look forward to Darvish and try to do my best.”
The three stars were Japanese teammates in the World Baseball Classic in March 2023, as was left-handed Padres reliever Yuki Matsui.
Ohtani, who moved to Major League Baseball after five seasons in Japan’s Major League Baseball, including three postseason appearances with the Nippon Ham Fighters of the Pacific League, was asked if he felt any pressure playing in his first MLB Postseason games.
“No,” he said in English.
“Not really at the moment,” he added in Japanese. “Of course, sometimes you can score and sometimes you can’t. It’s best not to dwell on what happened in the game before. That’s also important for the team.”
Yamamoto is also ready to take responsibility
Yamamoto, who moved to the MLB this season after being named the league’s MVP and the nation’s most impressive starting pitcher in three straight seasons in Japan, returned to the mound in September after suffering a triceps strain.
He said he felt fit and ready to play, but was surprised to be used in Game 1 after originally being scheduled for Game 2.
“I found out about the change yesterday and was surprised,” he said. “The result of Game 1 has a big impact on how the series goes, so I want to live up to that responsibility and give it my all on the field.
Yamamoto, who started for the Orix Buffaloes in Game 1 of the last three Japan series, was asked if his experience in big games was important.
“There’s a positive in that, but I want to approach these games the way I normally do and focus on one pitch at a time,” said Yamamoto, who was also asked about this being his first postseason game.
“October is special,” he said. “It’s something you feel in the atmosphere more than what people say about it. I don’t know if I would call it fun while I’m in the game, but it would be great to see it that way after the game.”
