Shohei Ohtani made history during his first season with the Los Angeles Dodgers and now has the chance to create more in his much-anticipated playoff debut.
Ohtani hit a three-run homer with two outs in the second inning, tying the game and helping Los Angeles win their Division Series opener on Saturday night. The Dodgers defeated the San Diego Padres 7-5, a team they had a tough competition with before securing their 11th NL West title in 12 years.
“It’s been insane how good he’s been with runners in scoring position,” said Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. “When he gets those chances, you feel like he’s going to make them count.”
The Japanese star launched a 372-foot shot into right field on a 2-1 pitch from Dylan Cease, exciting the sellout crowd of 53,028, which included actors Brad Pitt and Rob Lowe.
“I could really feel the intensity of the stadium before the game began, and I thoroughly enjoyed it,” Ohtani said through an interpreter.
He finished the game with 2 hits out of 5, three RBIs, two runs scored, and two strikeouts while 88-year-old Hall of Fame pitcher Sandy Koufax watched from behind home plate.
“It was pretty exciting,” Ohtani said. In his first at-bat, he flied out to left field.
“The focus was really on just having my swing and getting the quality at-bats I look for, even in an exciting, high-intensity environment,” Ohtani said. “Although I was out that at-bat, I felt pretty good and wanted to keep that going in the next at-bats.”
The Padres took an early 3-0 lead in the first inning against Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Ohtani’s fellow countryman, who was also making his postseason debut in this best-of-five National League Division Series.
Ohtani, who had a batting average of .310 during the regular season, brought in Will Smith, who walked, and Gavin Lux, who had a single, to tie the game at 3-3.
“It just got the momentum back for us and just gave us life,” Roberts said. “From pitch one, the fans were just engaged and in it. I just felt that energy. I think Shohei feeds off that.”
San Diego took the lead again at 5-3, but the Dodgers came back with three runs in the fourth inning. Ohtani got a single despite breaking his bat and later scored, along with Mookie Betts, on Teoscar Hernández’s single, giving the Dodgers their first lead at 6-5.
“It’s really difficult for a playoff team to feel comfortable playing in the first game of the postseason, especially with the long layoff, but I think everyone really contributed,” Ohtani said.
Before the game, Ohtani seemed excited in the dugout. Once in the batter’s box, he switched to a focused mindset, ready to perform.
“You can even see it in his first at-bat, just the discipline in the strike zone, to get back into a count and then to fly out,” Roberts said. “I just really have never seen a guy in the biggest moments come through as consistently as he has. I wish a lot of other players had that ability. He’s just very unique.”
Ohtani is making his October debut after spending six years with the Los Angeles Angels, who never had a winning record during that time.
He signed a record-breaking $700 million, 10-year deal with the Dodgers as a free agent in December.
This season, he didn’t pitch while recovering from a second major elbow surgery, allowing him to focus on hitting, and he became the first player in Major League Baseball history to have 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a season.
