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Dodgers Advance to NLCS with Game 5 Victory
The Los Angeles Dodgers celebrated a thrilling 2-0 victory over the San Diego Padres on Friday, securing their spot in the National League Championship Series.
Hernández Duo Delivers
Enrique Hernández opened the scoring in the second inning with a solo home run, while Teoscar Hernández extended the lead in the seventh with another solo shot. Hernández’s home run was his 14th in the postseason, a testament to his big-game experience.
Yamamoto’s Dominance
Dodgers starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto was brilliant, pitching five shutout innings and allowing only two hits and one walk. The Padres’ offense struggled to generate any momentum, managing just two hits off Yamamoto.
Padres’ Power Outage
Despite Yu Darvish’s impressive outing, the Padres’ offense failed to produce, going 24 consecutive innings without scoring a run. Darvish allowed only three hits in 6⅔ innings but couldn’t overcome his team’s offensive struggles.
Japanese Pitching History
Friday’s game marked the first time two Japanese pitchers, Yamamoto and Darvish, faced off in a postseason game, a testament to the growing global reach of Major League Baseball.
Next Up: New York Mets
The Dodgers will now face the New York Mets in the NLCS, a rematch of their 1988 NLCS encounter. The Mets stunned the Dodgers in that series, but Los Angeles is confident in their chances this time around.
“We didn’t come here to win the NL West,” said Enrique Hernández. “We came to win the World Series.”