Shohei Ohtani dazzles in playoff debut; Dodgers win Game 1

LOS ANGELES — Shohei Ohtani unleashed a mighty swing and flung his bat simply as ferociously. For a quick second, earlier than making his manner up the first-base line to commemorate his two-out, game-tying three-run homer in Saturday’s second inning, he even sauntered.

“I may actually really feel the depth of the stadium earlier than the sport started,” Ohtani mentioned by means of an interpreter, “and I totally loved it.”

With one swing, Ohtani one way or the other met the large hype he carried into his postseason debut. And thru 9 innings, the excitement that surrounded a Nationwide League Division Sequence showdown between the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres truly lived as much as its billing. It completed with a 7-5 Dodgers win in Sport 1 in entrance of a sold-out crowd. Earlier than that, there have been lead adjustments and early runs, defensive gems and significant errors, and tense jams and fixed electrical energy.

The primary jolt was offered by Ohtani.

“I do not even attempt to clarify him anymore,” Dodgers reliever Blake Treinen mentioned. “Simply watch and revel in.”

Ohtani’s homer — a 118 mph line drive to proper area on an elevated fastball by Padres right-hander Dylan Stop — got here an inning after Manny Machado’s two-run shot gave San Diego an early three-run lead.

After Xander Bogaerts gave the Padres the lead once more on a third-inning two-run double, the Dodgers got here again once more within the backside of the fourth — loading the bases with one out then leaping forward on a wild pitch and a two-run single by Teoscar Hernandez.

A Dodgers bullpen that will likely be relied on closely given the workforce’s starting-pitching woes took it from there. Ryan Brasier, Alex Vesia, Evan Phillips, Michael Kopech and Treinen got here in in reduction of a wobbly Yoshinobu Yamamoto and mixed for six scoreless innings, strolling 4 batters however scattering simply two hits.

The Padres made it attention-grabbing in opposition to Treinen within the ninth, placing runners on first and second with two outs to convey up Machado, whose throwing error paved the best way for an insurance coverage run within the fifth inning. With the depend 1-2, Treinen unleashed a devastating sweeper that sailed manner exterior and previous Machado’s bat for a game-ending strikeout.

“I talked about this for a number of weeks: We have to combat,” Dodgers supervisor Dave Roberts mentioned. “And that is what we did tonight.”

The Dodgers have skilled main heartbreak the previous two Octobers, incomes first-round byes solely to get eradicated within the NLDS by division rivals they totally outplayed through the common season. They went into this yr’s postseason looking for a sure edge that may carry them in opposition to a Padres workforce that’s more healthy and extra well-rounded, and the Dodgers acquired it from an assortment of gamers in Sport 1.

It got here from Treinen, who was requested to file 5 outs for the primary time all yr and delivered. It got here from veteran shortstop Miguel Rojas, who performed by means of a tear in an adductor muscle and made a nifty, over-the-shoulder catch with the Padres threatening within the eighth inning. It got here from Gavin Lux, who recorded the second out of the ninth inning with a sprawling catch on a Luis Arraez liner. And it got here from Freddie Freeman, who contributed two hits and even a stolen base regardless of severe doubts about whether or not he would be capable of play.

“I used to be informed there was a 1 p.c probability that Freddie was going to have the ability to play,” mentioned Max Muncy, who would have changed Freeman at first base. “I did not consider that.”

Freeman sprained his proper ankle on Sept. 26 and spent the following eight days preventing to play within the postseason. When he spoke to the media on Friday afternoon, he mentioned the ankle was “adequate” to start out in Sport 1. However Freeman mentioned he “awoke feeling sore.” He informed his oldest son, Charlie, on Saturday morning that he in all probability would not play then arrived at Dodger Stadium early and went by means of 4 hours of therapy.

Roughly three hours earlier than recreation time, Freeman navigated by means of mild protection and baserunning work on the sector then went inside, hit off one of many Dodgers’ high-velocity pitching machines and inserted himself into the lineup.

“I do not suppose anyone anticipated him to play,” Rojas mentioned. “It was a borderline miracle.”

Ohtani’s efficiency has been nothing wanting miraculous in latest weeks. It started on Sept. 19, when he went 6-for-6 with three house runs, 10 RBIs and two stolen bases within the recreation that noticed him clinch his first playoff berth and develop into the primary member of the 50/50 membership. Ohtani proceeded to navigate a 10-game run that noticed him submit a 1.853 OPS to complete the common season. He struggled early on with runners in scoring place then slashed .577/.633/1.308 in that state of affairs in September, at a time when the Dodgers’ division lead appeared in jeopardy.

To Dodgers gamers and coaches, it offered a snapshot for a way Ohtani may deal with his first style of October. Then he delivered in his second at-bat, changing into the third participant — together with Brooks Robinson in 1966 and Giancarlo Stanton in 2018 — to homer in his postseason debut.

“He injected an absolute lightning bolt into the stadium,” Muncy mentioned of Ohtani. “And from then on it was like, ‘All proper, we obtained this. We’re good.'”