LOS ANGELES — During the second round of the game on Saturday night, any belief that Shohei Ohtani was going to remain daunted by his first venture into the Major League Baseball finals was immediately dispelled.
In Game 1 of their National League Division Series, Ohtani drove a large Dylan Cease 97 miles ball into Dodger Stadium’s right field palace after Los Angeles Dodgers were three works behind the San Diego Padres.
” I’ve never seen a person come out like he does for us,” said Dodgers director Dave Roberts. ” I do n’t know how he does it”.
The three-run picture tied the report and sent the Dodgers on to a 7-5 succeed with Game 2 of the best-of-five set on Sunday night. As the Dodgers came from behind for the next time in the evening, this day from a 5-3 gap, he added a slam one to center and drove home another operate.

The Padres had taken a 3-0 result in the top of the primary that included a two-run odysseus off the wicket of Manny Machado, San Diego’s leading star.
On a ball that was close to the one he hit out in the first playoff game, Ohtani flied out to left to take the direct off the base of the first.
” It’s all about execution”, Padres manager Mike Shildt said about Cease’s second round angle. ” He just got a ball out over the tray and Ohtani was able to find the flesh of the pitcher on it,” Ohtani said.
Ohtani said he was a little amped up by the sell-out masses of 53, 028, the staff meetings and the unusual surroundings.
” I was really feel the power in the venue before the match began”, Ohtani said through an interpreter. It’s challenging to get through a typical time, but challenging to get through a playoff game in a different way. I was simply enthralled to be a part of it.
By the time Ohtani came up in the second round, Cease was struggling. Before giving up two runs on the initial two pitchers, he gave up one more. Therefore he made the error of falling behind Ohtani in the matter. Ohtani did n’t miss the 2-and-1 pitch.
” The iliad got us back in the game. It only gave us life”, Roberts said. ” From ball one the viewers were really engaged. I felt that power. Shohei, in my opinion, only feeds off that. That was merely a huge hit.
Ohtani was 2-for-5 with the iliad and three RBIs. In his final two games, he struck out swing.
His fourth-inning one was against left-handed relief Adrian Morejon, who had just replaced the right-handed Stop, which means there’s no real lefty-righty method to get him out. A left-handed swinger, he was a.322 hitter against right-handers and a.288 hitter against lefties as he batted .310, second in the NL.
” We only trust Morejon against Ohtani”, Shildt said when asked about the move.
This time, Ohtani was the first to report a 50/50 time with 54 hitters and 59 steals. He had 130 RBI and homered in the league, but he was unable to capture the Triple Crown due to Padres pitcher Luis Arráez ‘ 309-hit home run.

He has been worth every penny of the$ 700 million that the Dodger paid him as a free representative for the past ten years.
Ohtani, on Saturday night at least, had the desired effect on the top of the Dodgers roster. The Dodgers lost six of their seven games through the combined efforts of Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman, who have each hit.163 (8-for-49 ) with a homer and four RBIs. Last October only vs. Arizona, they were 1-for 21 with no batters or RBIs as the D-backs swept.
When Padres pitchers were pitching, the two of them were on basic five times. Freeman, playing through a great right hip sprain, had a pair of songs and truly stole a foundation. Betts walked three times, half consciously, as Schildt opted to pitch rather to the thwarted Freeman.
Therefore, the top three outfielders were on base seven days including Ohtani’s iliad and three RBIs
It was just a taste of what’s to come for Ohtani and the Dodgers this playoffs.
Kershaw’s year over
Prior to the game, Roberts stated that Clayton Kershaw, a senior beginner, do not play for the membership in 2024 due to a persistent bone spur in his left big toe. He exited a match in Arizona during the next round on Aug. 30 and has n’t pitched since.
” We’re closing that door”, Roberts said when asked about a possible Kershaw profit. ” Clayton has done everything he can to preserve this project moving forward and giving himself a possibility to get in the playoffs. But where he’s at best now, actually, the foot, the heel just is not cooperating. It’s really getting worse. Yeah, this is it for Clayton for 2024″.
Kershaw acknowledged that surgery is a possibility, but he wo n’t say whether he will call it quits until after the postseason is over. He has a player option with the Dodgers for 2025 worth$ 10 million.
” I do n’t want to keep getting hurt all the time,” Kershaw, who had shoulder surgery in the offseason and did n’t play until July 25th, said. ” It’s not fun. But I love to ball, also. We just have to consider everything”.