Ohtani comes through for Dodgers

LOS ANGELES, Calif. – Shohei Ohtani delivered when the Dodgers needed it. The National League West Division is still on the line. 

But Ohtani gave the Dodgers some breathing room toward claiming the title with clutch at-bats in the second of a three-game series played at Dodger Stadium. 

The regular season is drawing to a close. Yet the Dodgers still have not been able to clinch the division because of the resurgence of the San Diego Padres. The Padres took the opening game of the series, drawing them within two games of the Dodgers sitting at the top of the division. 

The first game between the Dodgers and Padres ended with Los Angeles being closed out on a triple play to end the contest. 

Ohtani became the series-preserver (and maybe the season) for the Dodgers when he came through with two big-time hits and two critical RBIs, including what turned out to be the game-winner in the team’s 4-3 win against the Padres in front of a sold-out crowd.    

With Mookie Betts struggling at the plate (0-4), Ohtani took up the slack for his slugging teammate. The Dodgers got out on top with a run in the bottom of the first inning. The Padres answered with two runs in the top half of the second inning. 

The first part of the Shohei Show came up in the bottom of the fourth inning. Ohtani, who collected two hits in three official at-bats, drove in his first run of the evening to help the Dodgers recapture the lead. Ohtani sent a blast to the right field fence for a double that nearly missed being a home run. 

Ohtani cracked his first hit of the night against Padres pitcher Dylan Cease, who would last just five innings and surrendered five hits and three runs. The euphoria Dodgers fans had after Los Angeles took the lead was short-lived. 

That’s because Fernando Tatis Jr., San Diego’s slugging superstar, blasted a home run into the left-field pavilion in the fifth inning with two outs off Dodgers starting pitcher Jack Flaherty. Flaherty lasted five innings before giving way to a horde of Dodgers relief pitchers that helped preserve the win for L.A.   

As big a night it was for Ohtani, it was a bigger night for the Dodgers bullpen. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts brought in four relief pitchers, all pitching one inning apiece. The four relievers Roberts brought into the game silenced the San Diego bats, blanketing the Padres hitters the rest of the game. 

Flaherty gave up four hits in his short stint on the mound. Thanks to the Dodgers relievers, the Padres could not sniff another hit in the game.     

While the Dodgers relievers went about their business of carrying the brunt of the load for Flaherty, Ohtani’s heroics would take place in the bottom of the sixth inning. Ohtani collected an RBI single in the inning to give the Dodgers the lead they would not give back. Ohtani picked up his 124th and 125th RBIs of the season. 

For good measure, Ohtani also stole a base, his 56th of the year. It was a good Shohei night for the fans, the Dodgers and the baseball world.