After a walk-off marathon victory after 18 innings in Game 3 of the World Series, it looked like the Los Angeles Dodgers were going to seize the momentum like they did during last year's Fall Classic. Alas, the Toronto Blue Jays are putting up a bigger fight than the 2024 New York Yankees did. They bounced back well and took a 6-2 victory on Tuesday night to even up the series ahead of a pivotal Game 5 — winning the World Series game that Shohei Ohtani started on the mound in the process.
Ohtani managing to pitch at a high level all while being the biggest thorn in the Blue Jays' side is downright miraculous, as no one should be this good both on the hitting and pitching side of the ball. While Ohtani wasn't able to pitch the Dodgers to victory, he was still their biggest threat at the plate.
In fact, Ohtani drew a walk in his first plate appearance of the night, and in doing so, he had drawn six consecutive walks at that point dating back to Game 3. As per ESPN Insights on X (formerly Twitter), he now holds the longest walk streak in World Series history, surpassing Lou Gehrig, who recorded five consecutive walks in 1928, and he tied Corey Seager (2023 World Series run for the Texas Rangers) for the longest such streak in MLB postseason history.
Ohtani is striking fear in the Blue Jays' hearts, and this could not have been more evident in their decision to walk him five straight times after the Dodgers star went 4-4 in his first four plate appearances on Tuesday.
Alas, two-way duties seemed to get to Ohtani on Tuesday, as he ended up going hitless on the night (0-3), with the lone walk he drew in the very first inning being his only time getting on base in the Dodgers' Game 4 loss.
Can Shohei Ohtani will the Dodgers to another World Series title?
Ohtani is clearly the best player on the field in the World Series, and his mere presence has been very intimidating for the Blue Jays. He ended up fading into the background in Game 4, and he was chased by the Blue Jays lineup to start the seventh inning. But with LA's offense being madly inconsistent all season long, Ohtani has to show up for his team every night from here on out.
It's not quite clear if Ohtani will be making another start in the World Series, or whether it'd be necessary for him to do so in the first place. But he gets the job done typically from the plate, and the Dodgers will not be expecting anything less out of him.
