San Diego Padres pitcher Yu Darvish will start Game 1 of the National League Championship Series against the Philadelphia Phillies, the club said Sunday.
In Tuesday's NLCS opener at Petco Park, Darvish will face a lineup that includes NL home run champion Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper, who has hit .435 (10-for-23) in six games so far this postseason.
The veteran right-hander won both of his previous two postseason starts in matchups against pitching greats Max Scherzer and Clayton Kershaw.
In Game 1 of the Wild Card Series on Oct. 7, Darvish pitched seven innings of one-run ball in a 7-1 rout of the New York Mets.
Five days later, he allowed three runs and struck out seven in five-plus innings, leading the Padres to a 5-3 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 2 of the Division Series.
