Dodgers vs. Padres result: Yoshinobu Yamamoto sends Los Angeles to NLCS vs. Mets after shutting out San Diego

The Los Angeles Dodgers return to the NLCS looking to win their first NL pennant since 2020, when they won the World Series. They advanced here by defeating the San Diego Padres in the NLDS on the strength of a 2-0 win in Game 5 on Friday night at raucous Dodger Stadium.

Here’s how it all went down.

Yamamoto steps forward

Yoshinobu Yamamoto had an excellent rookie season until June before suffering a shoulder injury. He returned in September and made four starts with varying degrees of success (3.38 ERA overall), but was then tagged by the Padres for five runs in three innings in Game 1 of the NLDS.

So there were legitimate questions about the Dodgers starting Yamamoto in the deciding Game 5. He delivered. He allowed just two hits and one walk in five scoreless innings. He struck out two hits but didn’t give up much hard contact. Most importantly, he ensured his team had length and didn’t give up a single run in the final game of a series that had seen so many scores in the first four games.

“He set the tone. I think Yoshi has had a lot of success in his professional career. I’ve said it before; he plays in big ball games. And I believed in him. “I knew he would be up to the challenge,” said manager Dave Roberts after the game.

“And he was outstanding tonight. And I knew he wouldn’t run away. I look forward to accompanying him through the World Series.”

Yamamoto joins Johnny Podres, Sandy Koufax, Jerry Reuss and Orel Hershiser on the list of Dodgers pitchers who have pitched more than five scoreless innings in a win-or-win playoff game (via MLB. com).

The Padres’ offense fell asleep

Remember Fernando Tatis Jr.’s second-inning home run in Game 3 of this series? Yes, that was the last time the Padres scored a run in 2024. They finished the game with six scoreless innings before being shut out twice at the end of the season. That would be 24 innings in a row with a strong offense. Yikes.

Of course, the Dodgers pitching staff deserves credit for that, and we did that up at Yamamoto. It wasn’t just him. The bullpen was great in the back half of this series, just like they were in Game 1. They also closed the door in that game after Yamamoto left. Joining Yamamoto in Game 5 are Evan Phillips, Michael Kopech and Blake Treinen.

However, the Padres clubhouse must feel pretty empty. They had the best team in baseball on the ropes and just completely stopped hitting.

Kiké loves the playoffs

It was in the bottom of the second inning when Enrique Hernández went deep and scored the first run of the game:

This was the 75th career playoff game for Kiké and the blast above was his 14th career home run in those playoff games. Interestingly, he didn’t even have any in his first 16 playoff games, but then he hit three homers in Game 5 of the 2017 NLCS and has been a strong playoff threat ever since.

He hit a home run once every 29.1 at-bats during the regular season. In the playoffs? One home run every 13.4 at-bats.

Teoscar continued

Even though the Padres’ offense was dormant for so many innings, the 1-0 lead still felt pretty tenuous heading into the late innings. Teoscar Hernández made breathing easier with this blast at the end of the seventh round.

Hernández also hit a grand slam that tightened things up in Game 3. All told, he has hit two home runs and five RBI since the Padres last scored.

The 31-year-old veteran enjoyed a nice rebound year in 2024 after a poor season with the Mariners in 2023. That year, he hit 33 home runs and drove in 99 runs, making his second All-Star team. He even won the Home Run Derby.

This is the first time in his career that Hernández has advanced to the playoffs. He previously lost two Wild Card Series as a member of the Blue Jays.

“This is the first time I’ve been in an atmosphere like this,” he said on Friday’s show. “I love this. That’s why I came here. That’s why I signed here with the Dodgers.”

Darvish was good, but not good enough

Padres starter Yu Darvish takes the loss here, but his pitching was good enough to win. His teammates simply weren’t providing any support. He ended up allowing just three hits in 6 2/3 innings. Two of those three hits were home runs and his team scored zero runs for him. This is what we call a “unlucky loser.”

The Dodgers advance to the NLCS and host the Mets in a best-of-seven battle for the pennant. Game 1 is Sunday at Chavez Ravine.

The Mets finished their series on Wednesday, giving them plenty of time to prepare their pitching. And even though the Mets were a No. 6 seed heading into the playoffs, they had the best record in baseball from June through the end of the season.

The Dodgers, of course, had the best record in baseball.

The Dodgers won the season series four games to two and outscored the Mets 36-20. However, they have not played against each other since May 29th, so it is difficult to call these results relevant for the rest of this series.

Get ready for a lot of blue in the NLCS.