There's no need to bring Shohei Ohtani to the MLB playoffs — he did it himself.
With Los Angeles trailing by three early on Manny Machado's two-run home run, Ohtani went deep in his first postseason game with a three-run homer off Padres starter Dylan Cease in the second inning to tie the game. did. 3 each.
The huge explosion gave the Dodgers a 7-5 come-from-behind victory over the Padres in Game 1 of the National League on Saturday night in Los Angeles.
Ohtani added an oversized bat flip after the explosion.
Otani said through an interpreter, “I could really feel the excitement in the stadium even before the game started, and it was a lot of fun.''
The only thing that might have traveled faster than the 111.8 mph long ball was the bat itself, which Ohtani gleefully threw toward the dugout.
He praised his 372-foot shot that sailed over the right-field seats and through the bases, allaying fears at Dodger Stadium after taking the ball to his knee on the field before that.
“I've never seen a player succeed as consistently as he did when it mattered most,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “I wish a lot of other players had that ability. He's very unique in that way.”
Despite Ohtani's performance, the Padres were able to briefly regain the lead in the third inning with a two-run double by Xander Bogart.
However, the Dodgers regained the lead with a two-run homer by Teoscar Hernandez to give Los Angeles a 6-5 lead and never looked back.
As for Ohtani, the fact that he hit a home run in his playoff debut is no surprise after a season in which he hit 54 home runs, stole 59 bases, and drove in a team-record 411 total bases.
“It's been a dream of mine since I was a child to be in important situations and play in important games,” the Japanese superstar said through interpreter Will Ireton. According to MLB.com. “So I think that excitement is greater than anything else I can feel.”
Ohtani entered the Division Series immediately after a season in which he almost certainly won the National League MVP.
Ohtani's batting average of .310 ranked second on the senior circuit, and he finished with 15 home runs, ahead of second place Marcell Ozuna's total of 39.
He added 130 RBIs, 18 more than Milwaukee's Willie Adames, and had three hits for Luis Arraez's league-leading 200 RBI total.
What made the 30-year-old's offensive feat even more impressive was the fact that he accomplished it after undergoing Tommy John surgery — the two-way star's first season with the Dodgers It was limited to designated hitters.
Manager Dave Roberts didn't rule out the possibility of Ohtani pitching in the postseason in September, but general manager Brandon Gomez ruled him out this week.
“I don't think it's going to be the same as before,” Gomez told reporters. “We don't expect him to pitch in the postseason.”
— With AP
