Dodgers Final Score: Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Kiké Hernández 2-0 Padres NLDS

LOS ANGELES – Yoshinobu Yamamoto pitched five scoreless innings and both Hernándezes hit a home run, completing the Dodgers' National League Division Series comeback with a 2-0 victory over the San Diego Padres in Game 5 on Sunday night at Dodger Stadium.

The Dodgers, who didn't allow a run in the final 24 innings of the series, are back in the NLCS for the first time in three years.

Entering the series, the Dodgers were down two games to one in their final two October games, either due to poor pitching, a dormant offense, or both. But this NLDS showed promise early, from the comeback win in Game 1 to the near comeback from a five-goal deficit in Game 3.

“I just think there's a relentlessness, a refusal to lose,” manager Dave Roberts said before Friday's game. “I think there's another level: you just won't lose, no matter what the circumstances. I saw that with our guys this year.

“I believe in this team more than any other team I’ve ever had.”

That belief was strengthened by a blowout in Game 4, where almost everything went well. Every pitcher hit zeros and the offense shined throughout, going 8-0 on the road.

Although a bullpen game was discussed as an option for Game 5, the Dodgers did not feel they could use relievers with the same aggressiveness as in Game 4, when three relievers pitched in multiple innings. So it made more sense to turn to Yamamoto, arguably the Dodgers' best option for Game 5, and on schedule.

Although his results against San Diego this season — 13 runs allowed in nine innings in three starts — might have said otherwise.

Enter Roberts, the eternal optimist.

“Yoshinobu is here to become a top starter and this is his time,” Roberts said. “We bet this guy plays the game of his life tonight.”

The biggest dragon to defeat was the first inning when San Diego scored three runs against Yamamoto in Game 1 and scored 10 runs in the first three innings against him this season. But Yamamoto got through the first frame well, including a strikeout by Fernando Tatis Jr. that sent the Dodger Stadium crowd into a frenzy.

Yamamoto didn't miss too many at-bats and allowed some hard-hit balls to be caught, including two flyouts to Mookie Betts on Manny Machado's right field warning track. But Yamamoto got the results, including a two-hit double play by Tatis that ended the third inning and the only real threat against Yamamoto, who retired his final seven batters.

Roberts isn't the only believer in the power of positive thinking.

With Miguel Rojas still out with his torn adductor muscle and Tommy Edman moving to shortstop, the Dodgers turned to veteran Kiké Hernández in center field on Friday after his two hits in Game 4.

“I just wanted to find a way to get him in there,” Roberts explained.

Hernández turned his season around just before the All-Star break when he wore glasses while playing for the first time. Since then, his numbers increased to .274/.307/.458 with a 112 wRC+.

He shined the most in his career in October, hitting .276/.351/.535 with a 134 wRC+ in 74 postseason games as of Friday. Before Game 5, he talked about using visualization to relax and successfully overcome pressure points and shared his perspective on big challenges, such as Game 5, which is all about the winner.

“The way I look at it is that we've dreamed of games like this since we were little kids,” Hernández said. “We didn’t come to the NL West; We came to win the World Series. To achieve this, we have to do this or we go home and think about everything in the offseason.”

To that end, Hernández jumped on a first-pitch fastball from Yu Darvish in the second inning, allowing the Dodgers to start over early.

Former Dodgers teammate Alex Wood chimed in after the home run.

Thanks to Yamamoto and the bullpen, that run maintained the lead until the seventh inning, when Teoscar Hernández hit a solo shot of his own, his second home run of the series, to double the Dodgers' lead.

That home run capped another excellent start for Darvish, who held the Dodgers to one run in seven innings in Game 2. This time he only allowed three hits, but two of them were home runs, which he lost unluckily.

After Yamamoto gave them five innings, the Dodgers were able to use their bullpen in a more traditional style. That included Evan Phillips getting all five batters he faced on a sweeper-fueled strikeout against Machado in the seventh inning.

Alex Vesia struck out the last batter of the seventh inning and prepared to start the eighth inning, but retired with coach Thomas Albert before throwing another pitch.

This allowed Michael Kopech to open the frame and he threw a clean eighth place. Blake Treinen pitched a scoreless ninth that gave him a bookend save in the NLDS.

Info about NLDS Game 5

Home runs: Kiké Hernández (1), Teoscar Hernández (2)

WP – Yoshinobu Yamamoto (1-0): 5 IP, 2 hits, 1 walk, 2 strikeouts

LP – Yu Darvish (1-1): 6⅔ IP, 3 hits, 2 runs, 1 walk, 4 strikeouts

Sv – Blake Treinen (2): 1 IP, zeros

Next

The Dodgers can keep playing and stay at home for a few more days, with Game 1 of the NLCS against the Mets on Sunday night (5:15 p.m., Fox). Jack Flaherty is expected to start for Los Angeles, although nothing has been announced yet.