LOS ANGELES – Yoshinobu Yamamoto will start for the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 5 of the National League Division Series, pitching against right-handed San Diego Padres Yu Darvish in a game that Japanese star Shohei Ohtani has openly advocated.

Yamamoto versus Darvish in a winner-take-all game from Dodger Stadium on Friday night will mark the first matchup of Japanese-born starting pitchers in MLB postseason history, according to ESPN Research.

Yamamoto could have pitched against Darvish in Game 2 on Sunday, but the Dodgers used Yamamoto in the opener and opted for Jack Flaherty instead. Both were available for Game 5, while Dodgers manager Dave Roberts also ruled out the possibility of a bullpen game and remained undecided on the team’s plans at Thursday’s practice.

Yamamoto, Roberts said, was “very comfortable” with the idea of ​​coming out of the bullpen, but the Dodgers ultimately opted to start him. Still, his leash will likely be short. Yamamoto was charged with five runs in three innings against the Padres in Game 1, and the Dodgers — coming off a Game 4 win that saw eight relievers combine for a shutout — will likely turn to their bullpen at the first sign of trouble.

Darvish pitched seven innings of one-run ball from Dodger Stadium in Game 2 and held Ohtani to one hit in eight at-bats this season, striking out three. At the start of the NLDS, Ohtani called Darvish his “childhood hero” and said his “personal hope was that Darvish would have taken on Yoshinobu.”

He will now get his wish.

When asked Thursday what stood out about his at-bats against Darvish, Ohtani said through an interpreter: “Obviously he’s a very good pitcher and pitched well against us. I think he’s also very crafty, so that’s not Like this.” There’s not exactly one specific thing that really stands out, but personally I’m really excited that he might be going up against Yoshinobu.”