Jack Flaherty will pitch in Game 1 of this weekend’s National League Division Series for the Los Angeles Dodgers, while rookie Yoshinobu Yamamoto is set to take the mound for Game 2.
Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes mentioned on Wednesday that the team has not finalized the plans for Games 3 and possibly 4, but both Walker Buehler and rookie Landon Knack will be part of the rotation.
The Dodgers will face the winner of the NL Wild Card matchup between the Atlanta Braves and San Diego Padres, with the Padres currently leading the best-of-three series 1-0.
The best-of-five NLDS begins on Saturday at Dodger Stadium.
Yamamoto has only made four starts since returning from the injured list, having missed almost three months due to an arm injury. In his last game against Colorado, he gave up two runs and pitched five innings, which was his longest outing since coming back.
Although Yamamoto is a rookie in MLB, he has a lot of experience in high-pressure games back in Japan. He played in the 2022 Japan Series, helping the Orix Buffaloes win, and also competed in the Tokyo Olympics, where Japan won a gold medal.
“I don’t think Yama’s going to be fazed by the big moment,” Gomes said during a teleconference. “If anything, I think he’s going to thrive on it.”
Flaherty joined the Dodgers from the Detroit Tigers at the July trade deadline, returning to his hometown. He has a 3.58 ERA in 55 1/3 innings over 10 starts for the Dodgers.
Shohei Ohtani will keep doing bullpen sessions as he recovers from his second elbow surgery last year, but Gomes said there are no plans for him to face live hitters.
“We don’t anticipate him pitching in the postseason,” the GM stated
Instead, the Dodgers will depend on Ohtani’s hitting to support them, just like he did in his record-breaking first season with the team.
