Going all in: Shohei Ohtani swingin' in his first MLB play-offs
The soon-to-be three-time MVP isn't about to stop in his postseason debut after becoming the first member of baseball's 50-50 club. And the Los Angeles Dodgers need him now more than ever.
Baseball Softball
Shohei Ohtani is having a blast in his first postseason in the majors.
Literally.
On Saturday (5 October), Ohtani made his play-off debut in Major League Baseball in typical Sho-Time fashion, clubbing a game-tying three-run rocket that helped send the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 7-5 Game 1 win against the San Diego Padres in the National League Division Series.
A day earlier, Ohtani was asked if he was nervous ahead of his first postseason after seven years in the bigs, to which he had a simple answer.
“No.”
It appears so.
Shohei Ohtani: "I'm more excited than anything"
After never playing in October in six seasons with the Los Angeles Angels, Ohtani got exactly what he wanted in the first year of a 10-year marriage with the Dodgers - a chance to compete for a ring.
The year 2024 couldn’t have begun more turbulently for Ohtani as he was embroiled in the gambling scandal of his former interpreter Mizuhara Ippei, who was dismissed by the team one game into the season and later pleaded guilty to bank and tax fraud.
But Ohtani didn’t need much time to silence the noise with his Herculean bat, going on a historic tear that ended in him becoming baseball’s first 50-50 man AND missing out on the Triple Crown by a measely .004 in batting average.
Expectations have always been lofty for Ohtani ever since he crossed the Pacific from Japan in 2017, but no-one could have predicted he would steal more bases in a single year than sure-fire future Hall-of-Famer Ichiro Suzuki.
It was a campaign for the ages in which Ohtani set career-highs in almost every major offensive statistical category - batting average (.310), home runs (54), stolen bases (59), RBIs (130), total bases (411), and hits (197).
Ohtani is a virtual lock to win the MVP for a third time after winning it unanimously twice in the American League with the Angels. He would join Frank Robinson (NL 1961, AL 1966) as the only players in history to win the MVP in both leagues, while becoming the first full-time designated hitter to receive the award.
All this as Ohtani recovers from a torn UCL in his right elbow.
The 30-year-old, nevertheless, isn’t resting on his laurels anytime soon. Not when the World Series is finally within reach.
“When you get this far, the stats and numbers from the regular season no longer mean anything,” Ohtani said. “I need to focus on maintaining my condition and staying locked in.
“I’ve wanted to play on this stage ever since I was a kid. I’m more excited than anything. I remember watching the Dodgers win it all (in 2020) at the hospital after having surgery. And it was frustrating.”
EXTRA! EXTRA! Everyone in Japan wants a piece of Shohei Ohtani.
Game 4 - Win or go home for Dodgers
The Dodgers are now down 2-1 in the best-of-five series, after the Padres won Game 3 on Tuesday 6-5 at home. Game 4 on Wednesday stays in San Diego and is a must-win for the Dodgers.
Yet Ohtani is far from tense or pressed. He seems to be thriving in the moment, with his back against the wall and the season on the line.
“I think you just have to look at it like, if you win two in a row, you advance,” Ohtani said at Petco Park where the atmosphere was unkind for the Dodgers. “We don’t need to think we’re down 2-1. Keep it simple - win two in a row and we’re through.
“Even today we got back in the game after falling behind and we can take confidence from that. I’m convinced we can win two straight if we turn the tide.”
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts believes Ohtani is that guy who can turn the tide for his team.
“I just really have never seen a guy in the biggest of moments come through as consistently as he has,” Roberts said before the series began. “I wish a lot of other players had that ability. He’s just very unique.
“He’s played in a lot of big ballgames and I think it’s more for us as fans to see that it’s something that’s new to him to see how it plays out. But if there’s any person that I feel is going to be able to handle this, it’s certainly Shohei.”
Ohtani seems to be relishing his first play-off experience in the majors - even with the Dodgers in a must-win situation.