A reporter requested Lakers ahead Rui Hachimura whether or not he was rooting for the or Padres within the upcoming NLDS showdown.
This was his reply: “.”
Just a few seconds later, Hachimura reverted to his simple reply.
“ what truly, Yu Darvish…that’s powerful,” Hachimura mentioned. “He’s like my mentor. After I received to the league he was all the time supporting me. He got here to the sport too one time once I was in D.C.”
“He had my jersey on,” Hachimura mentioned with a smile.
Each the and Padres boast a number of the finest Japanese gamers in MLB. Los Angeles celebrity Shohei Ohtani and Padres right-handed pitcher Yu Darvish are set to face one another in Recreation 2 of the NLDS.
It was reported that Darvish was the possible starter for Recreation 2.
“I’m simply completely satisfied to see these Japanese athletes enjoying in opposition to one another on one of many greatest levels on the planet,” Hachimura mentioned. “I’m so happy with them.”
Earlier than Hachimura turned a basketball star, he spent a few of his childhood on the diamond. Hachimura defined that baseball, not basketball, was his first sport.
“I used to be truly meant to be baseball participant,” Hachimura joked. “My grandpa might be so upset. We did lots of follow collectively.”
Whereas Hachimura is targeted on beating the most effective of the Western Convention with the Lakers. One other Japanese star reached his first postseason with the .
Ohtani’s first season in a uniform was nothing in need of outstanding. Ohtani’s finest offensive season was stuffed with quite a few data and his efficiency basically cemented his place in historical past.
“I met him a few instances, however we didn’t actually have a dialog,” Hachimura mentioned of Ohtani. “He got here to the sport one time, too. After I was in D.C. once we performed in opposition to the Lakers, he got here to observe a recreation. We talked a bit of bit.”
The introduced Jack Flaherty and Yoshinobu Yamamoto could be their front-line starters. The possible starters for San Diego are Dylan Stop and Darvish.
The NLDS matchup is slated to be a redemption recreation for the , a membership that misplaced in 4 video games to San Diego in 2022. The 2024 will attempt to keep away from a first-round exit this time round.
Photograph Credit score: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports activities
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