Once again, Shohei Ohtani struck early in the post-season for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
In his playoff debut a year ago, Ohtani hit a tying three-run homer in the second inning of the National League Division Series opener against San Diego. Los Angeles rallied for a 7-5 victory and went on to beat the New York Yankees in the World Series.
This year, he got busy even quicker.
Photo: AP
Ohtani hit a leadoff homer in the first inning and a two-run drive in the sixth as the Dodgers went deep five times on Tuesday night for a 10-5 win over the Cincinnati Reds in Game 1 of their National League Wild Card Series.
As usual, Ohtani appeared unruffled stepping into the white-hot spotlight on baseball’s biggest stage.
“His focus gets more keen, and the at-bat quality is better,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “That’s the reason why he signed to be with this ballclub, this organization, to play in games like this to showcase his other-worldly talent.”
Ohtani’s 117.7mph (189.4kph) drive off a 100.4 mph fastball from Reds ace Hunter Greene in the first was the fastest pitch he’s homered on in his MLB career.
It was Ohtani’s 13th leadoff homer this year, giving the Dodgers a 1-0 lead as they opened the defense of their World Series championship.
“It was a really hard pitch to hit, but I felt like I reacted pretty well,” Ohtani said through a translator. “I was happy I was able to help the team score early.”
His second homer — a 454-foot (138m) drive to right-center off reliever Connor Phillips — came with two outs in the sixth, extending the lead to 8-0. The three-time Most Valuable Player also struck out three times.
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