Shohei Ohtani decided to sign with the Dodgers last winter to finally seek championship glory. On his first playoff night in the Major Leagues, the best player in the world responded to lead his team.
Ohtani hit a three-run homer and the Dodgers’ bullpen pitched six scoreless innings in a 7-5 victory for the Los Angeles Angels over the San Diego Padres in the opener of the National League Division Series.
Game 2 of the best-of-five series will be this Sunday at 5 p.m. PT also at Dodger Stadium.
Ohtani, who came very close to capturing the National League batting Triple Crown, went 2 for 5 with 3 RBIs, 2 runs scored, and 2 strikeouts in his postseason debut after years of frustrating finishes with the LA Angels, with whom he was never able to reach the playoffs.
The Dodgers came back twice in the first game
This thrilling series between bitter Southern California rivals got off to a close start, with a hard-fought and intense game. The Dodgers came back twice after being down by multiple runs.
In the second inning, Ohtani connected with a shot just over the right-field wall with two men on to tie the score 3-3 against Dylan Cease, one of San Diego’s pitching aces.
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Then in the fourth, with the Dodgers down 5-3, they came back again. A wild pitch by reliever Adrian Morejon allowed Tommy Edman to score from third base and then Teoscar Hernandez hit a line drive to center that drove in two runs for the upset (6-5).
The home team’s lead increased to 7-5 on Edman’s grounder into a double play in the fifth with a runner on third base.
The start of the game was electrifying. The Padres struck first with a two-run homer by Manny Machado to cap a three-run rally. An inning later, Will Smith walked, Gavin Lux singled, and after two outs, Ohtani came in to turn the stadium on its head with his first home run in the playoffs.
Ohtani reacted after his blast by throwing his bat emphatically near the Padres dugout, a bat flip that illustrates how the Japanese star is experiencing these games as a member of the Dodgers.
Dodgers bullpen grew in game 1
Fellow Japanese Yoshinobu Yamamoto opened the game on the mound for the Dodgers but didn’t get very far: 3 innings with 5 hits and 5 runs, including two on a double by Xander Bogaerts in the third inning. However, the team’s offense backed him up and the Los Angeles bullpen once again demonstrated its quality.
Los Angeles’ relievers didn’t allow a run over the final six innings, including Blake Treinen striking out Donovan Solano with the bases loaded in the eighth to end the threat. An inning later, Treinen followed up on the mound and struck out Machado with two men on to seal the Dodgers’s win.
Two seasons ago, the Padres eliminated the Dodgers in the Division Series, the same event where the Dodgers eliminated San Diego four years ago.
The series between the Dodgers and Padres should be very colorful due to the quality of both teams. If Ohtani is able to repeat his individual exploits, he could take the team on his shoulders and lead it to victory. But if not, San Diego could prevail.
