LOS ANGELES (AP) — Shohei Ohtani homered twice and tied a 119-year-old main league document with 4 extra-base hits in Sport 3 of the World Sequence on Monday evening, placing on one more historic postseason present at Dodger Stadium.
After his four-hit barrage within the first seven innings, Ohtani drew 5 consecutive walks on this epic 18-inning World Sequence recreation, making him the primary main leaguer in 83 years to succeed in base 9 instances in any recreation, not to mention the postseason.
The Dodgers lastly gained 6-5 on Freddie Freeman’s walk-off homer main off the 18th.
“What issues essentially the most is we gained,” Ohtani mentioned by his interpreter. “And what I achieved in the present day is within the context of this recreation, and what issues essentially the most is we flip the web page and play the following recreation.”
Freeman’s newest clutch homer cleared the fence simply over 17 hours earlier than Ohtani will make his first World Sequence begin on the mound when he pitches for the Dodgers in Sport 4 on Tuesday evening.
“I would like to fall asleep as quickly as potential so I can prepare,” a smiling Ohtani mentioned.
Ohtani led off the underside of the primary with a ground-rule double to proper area. He adopted with a solo homer to proper within the third inning off Toronto starter Max Scherzer and added an RBI double within the fifth off reliever Mason Fluharty throughout a tying rally for Los Angeles.
Ohtani then hit a tying solo homer off Seranthony Domínguez with one out within the seventh. It was his sixth homer within the Dodgers’ final 4 video games, and he tied Corey Seager’s eight homers in 2020 for essentially the most by a Dodgers participant in a single postseason.
The Blue Jays had seen sufficient of Ohtani by then: Supervisor John Schneider deliberately walked him within the ninth, eleventh, thirteenth and fifteenth innings — and the gambit labored every time, with Ohtani’s teammates unable to get him residence.
Ohtani is the primary participant to be deliberately walked 4 instances in a postseason recreation, only one shy of the general main league document for intentional passes set by Andre Dawson in Could 1990.
Mary DeCicco by way of Getty Pictures
With a person on first, the Blue Jays pitched to Ohtani within the Seventeenth — however simply barely, with Brendon Little throwing 4 pitches comfortably exterior the zone.
Ohtani turned the primary participant to succeed in base 9 instances since Stan Hack had 5 hits and 4 walks for the Cubs in an 18-inning recreation on Aug. 9, 1942, tying a document additionally achieved by Max Carey in 1922 and Johnny Burnett in 1932.
After turning into the primary participant in MLB historical past with three multihomer video games in a single postseason, Ohtani is 2 shy of Randy Arozarena’s document for homers in a postseason.
Just one different participant in baseball historical past obtained 4 extra-base hits in a World Sequence recreation: Frank Isbell had 4 doubles for the Chicago White Sox in Sport 5 in 1906 in opposition to the Chicago Cubs.
Ohtani additionally turned the primary hitter to have a number of video games with no less than 12 whole bases in a single postseason. The one different participant to have two such postseason video games in his profession was Babe Ruth.
As soon as once more, Ohtani placed on a spectacular present for the Los Angeles followers who positively “want” him, posting his first four-hit recreation of the postseason in his first recreation again at Dodger Stadium since he hit three homers and struck out 10 Milwaukee Brewers in his sensational two-way effort throughout a clinching victory within the Nationwide League Championship Sequence 10 days in the past.
Ohtani has six hits and 5 RBIs within the first three video games of the World Sequence in opposition to Toronto, town the place followers chanted “We don’t want you!” at Ohtani whereas the Blue Jays gained Sport 1. Ohtani additionally homered late in that blowout loss.
Ohtani hit two homers within the Dodgers’ first recreation of the postseason in opposition to Cincinnati, however he hadn’t homered once more till his historic efficiency within the NLCS. All three of these homers had been solo pictures, and he hit a pair of solo homers in Sport 3.
He first linked for a 389-foot drive contained in the right-field pole within the third inning.
After struggling Dodgers reliever Blake Treinen allowed the Blue Jays to return forward 5-4 within the seventh, Ohtani tied it with a 401-foot homer to left-center.
Ohtani now trails solely Arozarena, who set the most important league document with 10 postseason homers in 2020 earlier than Tampa Bay misplaced the World Sequence to Seager and the Dodgers.
Ohtani doubled on Scherzer’s second pitch of Sport 3, though his teammates couldn’t carry him residence.
Ohtani keyed a tying rally when he doubled to left-center within the fifth, muscling an inside sweeper from Fluharty into the hole for his first opposite-field hit since Sept. 20, a span of 77 at-bats.
Following that double, Ohtani scored the tying run on Freddie Freeman’s single.
The Blue Jays pulled Scherzer proper earlier than Ohtani got here up and changed the veteran right-hander with Fluharty, who memorably struck out Ohtani with the bases loaded whereas escaping a giant jam to safe a 5-4 win for Toronto at Dodger Stadium in August.
Ohtani shortly tried to steal second after being walked within the ninth, however he was tagged out when he popped up and got here off the bottom for an immediate.
Ohtani superior to second on Mookie Betts’ two-out single within the eleventh, though he pulled up gingerly on the bag as a result of cramping. He stayed within the recreation, nonetheless, and Freeman flied out to finish the inning.
With Tommy Edman on third base within the thirteenth, the Jays deliberately walked each Ohtani and Betts to load the bases with two outs. Freeman, who ended Sport 1 of final yr’s World Sequence with a grand slam, hit a 379-foot flyout to the warning monitor in heart.
Ohtani’s Seventeenth-inning stroll put two Dodgers on base with two outs, however Betts popped out to go 1 for 8.