The San Diego Padres announced Sunday that right-hander Yu Darvish will start in Game 1 of the National League Championship Series against the visiting Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday.
It will be the second time in three playoff series that Darvish has started in the opener after kicking off San Diego's postseason run with an outing in the NL wild-card series.
On Oct. 7 against the New York Mets, Darvish gave up just one run over seven innings, setting up the Padres with a 1-0 series lead. San Diego advanced in three games, all of which were played in New York.
The Padres did not start Darvish in Game 1 of the NL Division Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers on short rest. He gave up three runs on seven hits over five innings in Game 2 on Wednesday, as the Padres pulled out a 5-3 victory to even the series at a game each.
San Diego returned home to defeat the Dodgers in four games and advance to the club's first NLCS since 1998, when the team was eventually swept by the New York Yankees in the World Series. Darvish would have pitched on short rest if there was a Game 5 of the NLDS on Sunday.
Darvish, 36, was 16-8 with a 3.10 ERA in 30 starts during the regular season. He is 95-75 with a 3.50 ERA over 242 starts for the Texas Rangers, Dodgers, Chicago Cubs and Padres in 10 MLB seasons.
A five-time All-Star, Darvish has finished second in the Cy Young Award voting twice: in 2013 with the Rangers and 2020 with the Cubs.
There is still one division series taking place and it will go to a decisive Game 5, as the Yankees beat the Cleveland Guardians to stay alive on Sunday in the American League.
Gerrit Cole delivered seven stellar innings and the visiting Yankees evened the series at 2-2 with a 4-2 victory.
"Just kept making pitches all night long," New York manager Aaron Boone said. "And I thought (he) was just really in command of the moment, and it was obviously a huge start for us and for him. And to get us that deep in the game set us up real nice." Game 5 is Monday night in New York, with Jameson Taillon expected to start for the Yankees against the Guardians' Aaron Civale in what likely will be a bullpen game for both teams. The winner heads to Houston to open the AL Championship Series on Wednesday.
Harrison Bader hit his third homer of the series and his second off Cal Quantrill (0-2) as the Yankees raced out to a 3-0 lead in the second.
Anthony Rizzo hit an RBI single in the first and Giancarlo Stanton lifted a sacrifice fly in the sixth for the Yankees, who have scored 15 runs in the series. The Yankees evened the series after moving Oswaldo Cabrera to shortstop in place of Isiah Kiner-Falefa and starting Aaron Hicks in left field.
Jose Ramirez hit an RBI single for Cleveland's first run and Josh Naylor homered for the Guardians, whose two wins in the series have come in their last at-bats on go-ahead hits by rookie Oscar Gonzalez.
Cole allowed two runs on six hits to improve to 10-5 in 16 career postseason starts, and he got his second win in six starts in an elimination playoff game. The $324 million ace struck out eight and walked one, and seemed to get stronger as the game continued.
"Our guys had that look in their eyes tonight, and it starts with Gerrit," Rizzo said.
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