LOS ANGELES – In the days following the debacle, several members of the Los Angeles Dodgers approached Yoshinobu Yamamoto. The weight of failure in Game 1 of the National League Division Series rested on his shoulders, and his distress was clearly visible to a group that doesn’t speak his language. A parade of teammates tried to cheer him up. He heard from pitchers and catchers, infielders and outfielders, coaches and executives, all offering some version of the same message.

“He’s one of the best pitchers in the world,” backup catcher Austin Barnes said.

“Everyone put their arms around him,” pitching coach Mark Prior said.

“Every now and then,” said wounded veteran Clayton Kershaw, “you just have to remind him: You’re a stud. Maybe you’re a rookie. But you are a stud.”

Friday night, in a game with little room for error against an opponent that nearly ruined his first season in Major League Baseball, Yamamoto looked good. He allowed just two hits in five innings as he quieted the ruthless San Diego Padres lineup in a 2-0 Game 5 win. He surpassed his friend, compatriot and childhood inspiration Yu Darvish. Yamamoto helped the Dodgers extend a streak of 24 scoreless innings to rally from a 2-1 deficit and set up a matchup with the New York Mets in the National League Championship Series.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Shohei Ohtani celebrate beating the Padres. Next: The New York Mets in the NLCS. (Harry Hoe/Getty Images)

The Mets were considered a likely destination for Yamamoto, a 26-year-old right-hander, when he was drafted by the Orix Buffaloes last winter. The Dodgers won the bidding war with a 12-year, $325 million contract in addition to a $50 million post fee. His rookie season was colored by successes, adjustments and a shoulder injury. His hands are small. His frame is slight. His stature could only intimidate a sales associate at GapKids. In Game 5, he continued to demonstrate exactly why the Dodgers outbid the rest of the industry, landing Yamamoto the heaviest contract ever for a pitcher.

“This kid didn’t get the money he got because of his potential,” utilityman Kiké Hernández said. “This is not by design. He got the money because of who he is, and who he is, what he showed tonight.

The Dodgers configured their patchwork for a night like this. Yamamoto started Game 1 because the team wanted him available for a possible Game 5. He doesn’t pitch according to the traditional American baseball schedule; every outing he has organized this season has involved five days of rest or more. Still, the team only committed him as the starter for Game 5 on Thursday afternoon, after days of deliberation.

Their concerns stemmed from Yamamoto’s inconsistent season and his struggles against San Diego. He missed all of July and August due to a strained rotator cuff. Upon his return in September, he pitched beyond the fourth inning only once. The Padres had him pilloried in his debut in the Seoul series in March. In Game 1 last week, he logged just three innings and gave up five runs, getting tagged for extra-base hits by Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado when he wasn’t nibbling around the strike zone. The Dodgers came back to win, but Yamamoto still looked humiliated in front of his teammates afterward.

“He was really deflated after Game 1,” president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said. “He felt the weight of letting down his teammates, the city, the entire Dodger country.”

The rest of the group noticed his dissatisfaction. He heard from them during the interim games in Los Angeles and San Diego. After the Dodgers used eight relievers to win Game 4, manager Dave Roberts told Yamamoto to prepare for Game 5. The team discussed using a reliever for him, specifically to target the right-handed duo of Tatis and Machado. Ultimately, the club decided not to feud with Yamamoto, who had never pitched behind an opener.

There would be no tricks, no gimmicks, no redux of bullpen games. They needed Yamamoto to keep their season alive.

“At the end of the day,” Roberts said before the game, “we’re betting on someone to throw the game of their life.”

In reality, the Dodgers would have been happy with a three-inning performance. The bullpen was prepared. Jack Flaherty, the Game 2 starter, was also available. The team identified a clear turning point to consider withdrawing Yamamoto: Tatis’ second at-bat.

Tatis tattooed dodgers starters all series. He hit a double off Yamamoto in Game 1 and a homer off Flaherty in Game 2 and another homer off Walker Buehler in Game 3. Yamamoto opted to attack him in Game 5. Tatis swung over a slider for a strikeout in the first inning. Yamamoto continued to taunt San Diego hitters as he flew through the lineup. His fastball sat at 97 mph. He also had some luck: The Padres hit six balls with an exit velocity of 100 miles per hour or more, and only one fell for a hit. “He gave us more pitches to hit, but we hit some people right there,” Padres shortstop Xander Bogaerts said.

The hit came in the third inning from catcher Kyle Higashioka, who turned a 90 mph fastball for a single. Luis Arraez hit a fastball off the first pitch to right for another single. The speed of the series created a worrisome scenario for the Dodgers, as Tatis came to the plate with runners on board. There wasn’t enough time for Roberts to call up a reliever. He needed Yamamoto to quell the threat.

Yamamoto missed low on a slider before spotting a curveball for a strike. He dumped two more breaking balls below the zone. Catcher Will Smith signed for a 3-1 slider. “It’s a tough call,” Smith said. ‘You must execute. I just felt that the slider was working. The tone went under Tatis’s shins. He was still waving. A grounder rolled to third baseman Max Muncy for an inning-ending, lead-saving, season-extending double play.

Yamamoto did not allow another baserunner. With Evan Phillips warming up in the fifth inning, Yamamoto easily retired the side. His last pitch was another 97 mph fastball. After Padres infielder Jake Cronenworth grounded out, Yamamoto left to a standing ovation. Roberts met Yamamoto on the top step of the dugout. The manager embraced his pitcher in a hug.

“I believed in him,” Roberts said. “I knew he would rise to the occasion.”

Yamamoto watched from the dugout as the relievers slammed San Diego’s door shut. He joined the merry mosh pit near the mound after Blake Treinen recorded the final out. Yamamoto stood at the edge of the party and patted his teammates on the back until they realized it was him. Then he entered the center of the crowd, surrounded by the group that had helped him out of his despair earlier this series.

“What he did tonight was he gave us everything he had,” Barnes said. “It was one of the better played games I’ve seen – against a very tough line-up. He’s great. We couldn’t ask for anything else.”

(Top photo of Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Will Smith: (Harry How / Getty Images)