Kiké Hernandez defies critics after leading Dodgers to NLCS showdown with Mets

Yoshinobu Yamamoto outdueled Yu Darvish in a historic playoff showdown between Japanese-born starters, as the Los Angeles Dodgers got home runs from Kiké Hernández and Teoscar Hernández to defeat the San Diego Padres 2-0 on Friday, advancing to the National League Championship Series.

Yamamoto, in his rookie postseason, pitched five innings of two-hit ball for the Dodgers before being pulled after 63 pitches in this decisive Game 5 between bitter NL West rivals, meeting in the Division Series for the third time in five years.

Shohei Ohtani and the Dodgers will now face the wild-card New York Mets in the best-of-seven NLCS, beginning Sunday night in Los Angeles.

For the first time since 1981, the Dodgers won a decisive Game 5 at home, this time avoiding a third consecutive NLDS elimination. Boasting the majors’ best regular-season record at 98-64, the Dodgers made a statement win. Post-game, Kiké Hernández, the seasoned Puerto Rican veteran, stirred controversy during a live TV interview. When asked what set this Dodgers team apart, Hernández responded, "The fact that we don’t give a f***.”

Meanwhile, the Padres' star hitters crumbled under pressure. Luis Arraez, Fernando Tatis Jr., Jurickson Profar, and Manny Machado combined for just one hit in 14 at-bats in Game 5. Los Angeles pitchers retired the final 19 batters, shutting out San Diego for the last 24 innings of the series as the Padres dropped both elimination games after leading 2-1.

The matchup between Yamamoto and Darvish marked the first time two Japanese-born pitchers started against each other in a major league playoff game. Yamamoto became the fifth rookie in Dodgers history to start a winner-take-all game. After Yamamoto’s exit, the Dodgers' bullpen held the Padres in check. Evan Phillips, Alex Vesia, Michael Kopech, and Blake Treinen combined to preserve the shutout, with Treinen earning his second save of the series.

Darvish, idolized by Ohtani growing up, allowed two runs and three hits over six and two-thirds innings, striking out four and walking one. He set down 14 straight batters after Kiké Hernández’s early home run before Teoscar Hernández’s blast in the seventh ended his outing.

Both teams made history by retiring 26 consecutive batters—the longest streak in a single postseason game. Despite Darvish’s strong performance, it wasn’t enough to overcome Yamamoto and the Dodgers' dominant pitching.

Ohtani, who had hit a tying three-run homer in Game 1, was largely quiet for the rest of the series. Friday’s game was broadcast live in Japan, where Ohtani’s battle with Darvish drew considerable attention, though Ohtani struck out twice against his countryman.

The tense finale, played before a sellout crowd of 53,183—including stars like LeBron James, Brad Pitt, and Bryan Cranston—ended with Kiké Hernández, who had moved to third base in the ninth inning, throwing out Tatis to seal the victory.

Hernández’s second-inning home run was his 14th career postseason blast, underscoring why the Dodgers brought him back for October success. However, whether his post-game comments draw the ire of the FCC remains to be seen.