The Los Angeles Dodgers will face the Arizona Diamondbacks in Game 1 of a National League Division Series Friday evening at Dodger Stadium, seeking the first of seven postseason victories needed to advance to the World Series for the first time since 1988.
Left-hander Clayton Kershaw will pitch for the Dodgers against Arizona right-hander Taijuan Walker. Kershaw was 18-4 with a 2.31 ERA during the regular season and 2-0 against the Diamondbacks. Walker was 2-0 against the Dodgers.
The Dodgers lost the regular-season series, 11-8, losing the final six games.
The Dodgers had their winningest season since moving to Los Angeles in 1958, with 104 victories, winning their fifth consecutive NL West Division title.
Arizona was 93-69 to finish second in the division. It advanced to the division series with an 11-8 victory over the Colorado Rockies in the National League wild-card game Wednesday.
The ceremonial first pitch will be thrown by Don Newcombe, a member of the Dodgers 1955 World Series championship team.
The national anthem will be sung by 16-year-old Isabela Moner, who starred in the 2014-16 Nickelodeon series “100 Things to Do Before High School.”
The food specials for the series are:
— a BBQ Rib Platter, smoked baby back ribs slathered in blueberry bacon barbecue sauce;
— the Chicken Waffle Sammy, a Belgian waffle, with spicy crispy chicken, candied smoked bacon and maple syrup;
— the Donut Bacon Double Cheeseburger, two all-beef patties, American cheese, candied smoked bacon, maple syrup, blackberry jam on a glazed doughnut;
— Carnitas Waffle Fries, crispy waffle fries topped with smoked pork carnitas, pico de gallo, avocado crema, salsa verde and jalapenos;
— Cheet-O-Lote, roasted sweet corn on the cob slathered in chipotle- lime mayonnaise, dusted with Flamin’ Hot Cheetos, cotija cheese and tajin seasoning; and
— the Ice Cream Chicken Sandwich, a glazed onion-grape jam-filled doughnut, spicy crispy chicken, candied bacon and vanilla ice cream.
Game 2 of the best-of-five series will be played Saturday night at Dodger Stadium.
All potential postseason games at Dodger Stadium through the National League Championship Series are sold out.