Ohtani stuns in playoff debut with 3-run bomb

LOS ANGELES: Shohei Ohtani hit a 3-run bomb in the second inning of his first ever playoff game, as the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the San Diego Padres on Saturday.

The two time MVP wasted no time in showing the world what it was missing on Saturday night at Dodger Stadium. In just the second inning of the National League Division Series opener, Ohtani hit a 3-run bomb. 

PADRES EARLY LEAD

The Padres managed to take an early lead, beginning with an error from Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who sent a pitch straight into the ground, allowing Luis Arraez to get to third base. Yamamoto would get his first out, after Jurickson Profar hit the ball short and straight to first, but not before batting a run in.

Manny Machado would then make his way to the batter’s box. Yamamoto would send back to back fastballs his way to get a 2-0 lead in the count. Machando would take the next pitch, a slider which dropped just below the strike zone for the first ball of the battle. Yamamoto would go back to his fast ball, and Machado was waiting for it. The Padres third baseman would smash the ball deep left centre field to make the lead 3-0. 

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OHTANI BRILLIANCE

Ohtani would pay the Padres back in kind, as he came to the batter’s box with two on base and two out. Dylan Cease would start off with a fastball that missed the bottom of the strike zone. Cease would then try his slider, which also missed. He would finally get a strike after Ohtani hit a foul ball into his own knee, worrying the crowd. 

But Ohtani would let his fans know he was just fine, hitting a 3-run bullet into the stands, equalising the game at 3 runs a piece.  

BACK AND FORTH

The Padres would retake the lead in the next inning, as Xander Bogaerts pulled a breaking ball into left field, allowing two runners on base to score.

In the bottom of the fourth, the Dodgers would cut down the deficit off a wild pitch from Adrian Morejon allowing the runner on third to score. They would take the lead soon after, after Teoscar Hernandez would put the ball into right centre field, allowing Ohtani on third, and Mookie Betts on second, to both score. 

7-5 for the Dodgers would be the score going into the top of the fifth, and that would be the score at the end of the game as well. The Dodgers won the first of five in their NLDS opener.

FAILURE WITH THE ANGELS

Despite being widely recognised as the greatest talent in the sport of baseball, with many considering him the greatest player of all time already, Ohtani has never made the playoffs. Before joining the Dodgers this season, Ohtani played with Los Angeles’ other team, the Angels. 

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Together with baseball phenom Mike Trout, Ohtani was on a what seemed to be a dominant squad. Yet, the Los Angeles Angels never made the playoffs in Ohtani’s six years with the organisation.