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NLDS Game 1: Ohtani Dominates with Homerun
Shohei Ohtani may have had any postseason jitters, but they quickly dissipated.
In Ohtani’s first appearance in the postseason in the Majors, he wasted no time easing into the bright lights of his first postseason in the Majors by belting a game-tying three-run homer his second time up against Padres starter Dylan Cease in the second inning of Saturday’s NL Division Series Game 1 at Dodger Stadium.
His homer was one pitch after he fouled a ball off his knee.
Ohtani’s Postseason Power Surge: A Statistical Analysis
Ohtani’s blast off the bat at 111.8 mph was the fourth hardest-hit home run by a Dodger in the postseason since Statcast began tracking in 2015. With the ball blown high over the fence, Ohtani belted a ball flip and uttered excited words before starting his trot to first base.
Ohtani, who had a historic regular season in which he became the first player with a 50-50 season and broke franchise marks with homers (54) and total bases (411), picked up where he left off.
He became the sixth Dodgers player to homer in his first career playoff game, joining Gavin Lux (2019), Max Muncy (’18), Tom Wilson (’04), Mike Piazza (1995), and Jim Gilliam (’53).
Sentiment Analysis: Dodgers’ Frustration Mounts Against Cease
The Dodgers trailed after right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto allowed a three-spot in the first and stranded two runners in the bottom half of the inning.
Will Smith led off with a walk, Lux followed with a single, and the L.A. was in danger of stranding two baserunners vs. Cease again when Ohtani came to the plate with two outs in the second. Of course, with an open base, as the Padres had, Ohtani was followed in the lineup by two more former MVPs, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman.
Ohtani continued to make Cease pay, which is when the southpaw gambled on pitching to the Japanese newcomer and uncorked a 2-1 four-seamer that clipped the top of the zone.
Following the bottom of the second, Padres manager Mike Shildt stated in an in-game interview, “We do game plan for [Ohtani].” “We discussed it before the game: There are flaws, but the margin for mistake is not that large. It just comes down to execution. Making sure that everyone leaves before he wakes up is also crucial.
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My name is Krishanu Das the founder of the Sports Dribble.
I am Accountant by profession but a Sports Blogger by passion.
I am passionate about sharing my all knowledge and experiences of sports, with my readers and every sports enthusiast.
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