Ohtani grew up watching the former Nippon Ham Fighters’ ace as a kid before embarking on his journey in professional baseball. On Sunday, when Darvish last pitched against LA, Ohtani described the pitcher as his “childhood hero” and said he’d hoped to see him and Yoshinobu Yamamoto pitch against one another.

How Shohei Ohtani and the Dodgers fare against Padres starter Yu Darvish, and the performance of the L.A. bullpen will be worth watching in NLDS Game 5.

The Los Angeles Dodgers shut out the San Diego Padres in Game 4 of the NLDS, forcing a winner-take-all Game 5 in Los Angeles on Friday night. With the New York