This yr could be totally different.
This yr could be about successful a postseason sequence.
This yr could be the yr the finest participant in baseball made positive of it.
Or not.
Shohei Ohtani and the Dodgers are on the verge of elimination from the National League Division Series. The San Diego Padres beat the Dodgers on Tuesday, 6-5, so the Dodgers both win two straight video games or lose of their first spherical for the third straight season.
Read extra: Plaschke: It's happening again. Dodgers on verge of another ugly October encore
Ten years in the past, the finest participant in baseball led a Southern California crew into the playoffs. He could be voted his league’s most dear participant, unanimously.
He was Mike Trout, and his Angels could be eradicated in the first spherical. In his postseason debut, Trout had one hit in three video games — a house run — in 12 at-bats. He reached base 4 occasions.
Ohtani needs to be voted his league’s most dear participant, unanimously.
However, in his postseason debut, Ohtani has three hits — together with one house run — in 13 at-bats. He has reached base 3 times.
He has struck out six occasions, the most of anybody in the sequence and twice as usually as anybody on the Padres. After stealing 59 bases in the common season, Ohtani has not stolen a base in the postseason.
Performance in the summer time ensures nothing in October. Consider Aaron Judge, the seemingly American League MVP. Judge is one for seven this October. In his earlier postseason sequence, the 2022 AL Championship Series, he went one for 16.
Fair or not, expectations are larger when your crew rewards you with a $700-million contract.
When Dodgers proprietor Mark Walter recruited Ohtani, Walter informed him he thought of the previous decade a failure. Every yr in the previous decade included a postseason look, however just one yr resulted in a championship.
The underlying message to Ohtani: We need to change this, and we'd like you to do it.
The Padres have two possibilities to finish the Dodgers’ season this week. If they do, the Dodgers would advance no additional than they did final yr, when the Angels employed Ohtani.
Read extra: Dodgers can't overcome disastrous inning in NLDS Game 3 loss to Padres
Doomsday feeling? Not to Ohtani.
“We just have to win two games in a row,” he stated. “I don’t really have the sense of there being no tomorrow. We win two games and we’re OK.”
On Tuesday, Ohtani struck out twice, flied out and had a broken-bat single. Of his 4 at-bats, three got here with the bases empty, so he had a minimal probability to do most injury.
“I think that the moment is certainly not getting too big for him,” Dodgers supervisor Dave Roberts stated. “I think they're making some good pitches. Obviously he had a good Game 1 and was kept somewhat at bay [since then], still threw out a knock tonight.
“So, yeah, I think that he's still in a good place. He'll be ready to hit a mistake. And I still feel good about having Shohei in there tomorrow to do some good things.”
Freddie Freeman shook his head. He understands what followers would possibly anticipate of Ohtani, however he additionally understands the actuality of October.
“He’s had a good series so far,” Freeman stated. “I know everyone wants us to hit .400. We’re facing ones and twos and great bullpens. We’re putting some good at-bats on it.”
The Padres’ bullpen, considerably upgraded by basic supervisor AJ Preller at the trade deadline, has a 1.69 earned-run common on this sequence.
Left-hander Tanner Scott, the finest reliever traded at the deadline, has confronted Ohtani 3 times on this sequence, as soon as in every sport. Scott has struck out Ohtani all 3 times.
“Of course, he’s a wonderful pitcher,” Ohtani stated. “I think what’s important on this side is to have a solid approach and stand in the batter’s box in solid condition.”
In his at-bat in opposition to Scott on Tuesday, representing the tying run, Ohtani took a slider for a referred to as third strike.
“It was good pitching, and it would have been good to at least foul the ball,” Ohtani stated. “But the fastball before was hittable, so it would have been good if I had hit that.”
This shouldn't be all on Ohtani, in fact. The Dodgers are batting .216 in the sequence. Their beginning pitchers have a ten.13 earned-run common.
But Ohtani led the NL in on-base proportion this season. Of the 9 regulars in the Dodgers’ lineup, nevertheless, the just one with a decrease on-base proportion than Ohtani is Max Muncy.
Whether you like to name Ohtani the leadoff man or the $700-million man, that simply gained’t do.
Read extra: Shaikin: How ‘Beat L.A.' became entrenched in the Dodgers-Padres rivalry lexicon
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This story initially appeared in Los Angeles Times.
