Shohei Ohtani has become more than a brilliant major league player. He is clearly in the category of baseball legend Babe Ruth when the Bambino was at his peak.
Ohtani's 3-home run performance in Game 4 of the National League Championship Series in which he also struck out 10 batters in 6.0 innings on the mound is arguably the greatest performance ever in a postseason game by any player. The Dodgers won that game by a 5-1 margin — Ohtani allowed just two hits — and swept the Brewers out of the playoffs.
The superstar and his teammates are hoping to win their second consecutive World Series title against the Toronto Blue Jays. The Dodgers are heavy favorites to win the World Series because they have dominant talent and they are playing their best baseball of the year. They swept the Cincinnati Reds in the Wild Card Series, beat the powerful Philadelphia Phillies 3-1 in the National League Division Series and swept the Brewers in in four games in the NLCS.
The Dodgers don't need Ohtani to carry the team because they are loaded with stars. Teammates Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman will join Ohtani in the Hall of Fame some day, and the starting pitching has been wonderful in the postseason. Blake Snell and Yoshinobu Yamamoto have been scintillating and it will be difficult for an excellent team like the Blue Jays to slow them down.
As great as his teammates are, Ohtani is the best player on either team and he will put on a show throughout the World Series.
Ohtani will blast at least two lead off home runs in the World Series
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has been batting Ohtani in the lead-off spot and he regularly delivers. He understands the strike zone and will not swing at pitches outside the zone.
In the early innings of the World Series — especially the first inning — Ohtani will look for a specific pitch. He may not get it in every game, but he will get it at least twice and he will blast those pitches out of the ball park on both occasions.
In his three home run masterpiece game against the Brewers, he led off with a home run and that set the tone for his teammates. When Ohtani starts the game with a home run, the Dodgers grab his coattails and go along for a successful ride. Leadoff home runs deflate the opposing starting pitcher and lift the slugger's team.
The legend of Ohtani will grow as he hits two lead off home runs in this best of 7 series. He will lead off one game in Toronto with a long home run and do the same in a game at Dodger Stadium
Ohtani will dominate in the mound in Game 4
Roberts has set his pitching staff in the series with Snell starting the opener in Toronto and Yamamoto pitching Game 2. When the Dodgers return to Los Angeles for Game 3 at Dodger Stadium, Tyler Glasnow will take the mound as his team's starting pitcher. Ohtani will get the start in Game 4 for the defending World Series champions
Technically, Ohtani will be listed as P-DH in the batting order. That's the concession that Major League Baseball has made to Ohtani because he can stay in the game as the Dodgers designated hitter after he is removed from the game as the pitcher.
Observers had suggested that the role of P-DH is too much for any player, but it has not been the case for Ohtani. He thrives in it, as evidenced by his performance in Game 4 of the NLCS. As the Dodgers celebrated their National League championship on the field after the final out was recorded, Freeman suggested the game would be forever known as “The Ohtani Game.” Nobody has argued against that assessment.
Ohtani may not be able to match what he did against the Brewers when facing the Blue Jays, but he will have his strikeout pitch ready to go. He has excellent command with all his pitches and he can approach 100 miles per hour.
Look for Ohtani to strike out 10 batters in 7 innings and get at least three hits against the Blue Jays in this game. The Dodgers will win this crucial Game 4 and Ohtani will lead the way.
Series will not be easy for Dodgers, but Ohtani will come to the rescue
The Blue Jays are making their first appearance in the World Series since 1993, so they won't have the same sense of calm or confidence that their opponents have. The Blue Jays have the support of the entire country of Canada and while that will help them, it will also create pressure.
Look for the Blue Jays to play well enough to push this series to six or seven games. At some point in the final game, Roberts will turn to Ohtani to shut down Vladimir Guerrero Jr., George Springer and Alejandro Kirk at the most crucial moment. The pressure will be on Ohtani, and he will thrive.
He may not be able to strike out all of them, but he will shut down the Blue Jays at the most crucial moment and the Dodgers will win their second consecutive World Series.
