Los Angeles Dodgers stars Ohtani Shohei and Yamamoto Yoshinobu say they are getting excited ahead of the division series.
The playoffs are set to kick off on Saturday.
In the National League West division, the Dodgers will face off against the San Diego Padres, which fields two Japanese pitchers, Darvish Yu and Matsui Yuki.
The first two games will be staged at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles — the Dodgers’ home ground.
Ohtani has advanced to the playoffs for the first time since he joined the Major League for the 2018 season.
He said at a news conference on Friday that he is more excited than nervous because he has dreamed of playing in such games since his childhood.
Ohtani marked an extraordinary batting average of .628 for the last 10 games of the regular season.
He recalled batting with total concentration. He said the Padres pitchers are so good that it may be difficult to deal with them, but if he can keep cool, he believes he can have good results.
Yamamoto was initially on the roster for Game Two as a starter, but he is now slated to take the mound for the first one. He said the change was a surprise, but he has already geared up for the battle. He added he aims to pitch at full strength as the first game could influence results of the other games in the series.