Dodgers News: Lakers’ Rui Hachimura Conflicted Between LA and Padres For Personal Reasons
A reporter asked Lakers forward Rui Hachimura whether he was rooting for the Dodgers or Padres in the upcoming NLDS showdown.
This was his reply: “Dodgers.”
A few seconds later, Hachimura reverted to his straightforward answer.
“You know what actually, Yu Darvish…that’s tough,” Hachimura said. “He’s like my mentor. When I got to the league he was always supporting me. He came to the game too one time when I was in D.C.”
“He had my jersey on,” Hachimura said with a smile.
Both the Dodgers and Padres boast some of the best Japanese players in MLB. Los Angeles superstar Shohei Ohtani and Padres right-handed pitcher Yu Darvish are set to face each other in Game 2 of the NLDS.
It was reported that Darvish was the probable starter for Game 2.
“I’m just happy to see those Japanese athletes playing against each other on one of the biggest stages in the world,” Hachimura said. “I’m so proud of them.”
Before Hachimura became a basketball star, he spent some of his childhood on the diamond. Hachimura explained that baseball, not basketball, was his first sport.
“I was actually meant to be baseball player,” Hachimura joked. “My grandpa is probably so disappointed. We did a lot of practice together.”
While Hachimura is focused on beating the best of the Western Conference with the Lakers. Another Japanese star reached his first postseason with the Dodgers.
Ohtani’s first season in a Dodgers uniform was nothing short of remarkable. Ohtani’s best offensive season was filled with a number of records and his performance essentially cemented his place in Dodgers history.
“I met him a couple of times, but we didn’t really have a conversation,” Hachimura said of Ohtani. “He came to the game one time, too. When I was in D.C. when we played against the Lakers, he came to watch a game. We talked a little bit.”
The Dodgers announced Jack Flaherty and Yoshinobu Yamamoto would be their front-line starters. The probable starters for San Diego are Dylan Cease and Darvish.
The NLDS matchup is slated to be a redemption game for the Dodgers, a club that lost in four games to San Diego in 2022. The 2024 Dodgers will try to avoid a first-round exit this time around.
Photo Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
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