Dodgers will kick off NLDS homestands with top rookie pitcher on the mound
The Los Angeles Dodgers have determined which of their pitchers will open up their 2024 MLB Playoff run beginning on Saturday.
Dodgers opt to have Yoshinobu Yamamoto open up NLDS against the Padres
The Dodgers announced earlier in the week that stand-in ace Jack Flaherty and rookie sensation Yoshinobu Yamamoto would kick things off respectively on the mound for their first two postseason games. As of Thursday, the franchise declared that it will be Yamamoto who will get the very first taste of action against the San Diego Padres, and not Flaherty. Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman had this to say about the lineup change, per MLB.com’s Juan Toribio:
“Yoshi hasn’t pitched on regular,” Friedman said. “Jack’s more accustomed to it. Depending on ‘pen usage throughout, it allows us that flexibility in Game 5, if there is one. So it’s just about having more options.”
Yamamoto has momentum he can carry over into the playoffs from his last four starts
Yamamoto was on a tear to begin his 2024 campaign before going down with a shoulder injury that kept him out for nearly three months between June 15 and Sept. 10. The Japanese star finished the campaign with a noteworthy 3.00 ERA and 2.61 FIP along with 105 strikeouts across 90 innings pitched.
