Dodgers look for Ohtani’s hot bat to face Brewers
Shohei Ohtani has appeared little on offense with the Dodgers and other players have carried the weight of the team
We asked ourselves this question in the middle of the regular season, when it was confirmed that Shohei Ohtani was returning to his role as a two-way player and this seems like the time to rethink the question. Will the Japanese star pick up the pace offensively to help his team during the postseason?
The Los Angeles Dodgers are in the National League Championship Series for the second consecutive season and for the fourth time in the last six calendars, however, their most emblematic man, the Japanese Shohei Ohtani, has appeared little on offense and other players have carried the weight of the team.
Although he is an unmatched two-way player, Shohei left a lot to be desired in the Division Series against the Philadelphia Phillies and it is expected that he can awaken in the National League Championship Series, against the Milwaukee Brewers starting this Monday.
Ohtani finished the series against the Phillies 1-for-18, with nine strikeouts and with 16 of his 20 plate appearances against left-handed pitchers. It is true that his only hit sent the run that made the difference to the plate in Game 2, but perhaps the best thing he has done so far in this postseason was from the mound, since in Game 1 he allowed three runs in the second inning and ended up signing a quality outing, with nine strikeouts included, in a game in which the bullpen performed at its best and the Dodgers obtained their first victory in the series.
So let’s go back to the question
Will Ohtani regain his contribution with the bat, while being a dominant starter in any of the games of the series?
The manager Dave Roberts has left open the possibility that he will start Game 2 or 3 against the Brewers. Blake Snell opens the Championship Series this Monday and everything points to Yoshinobu Yamamoto for Game 2, so Ohtani would be scheduled for the third game, the first at the Dodgers’ home against the club that won the annual series by sweep (6-0).
It is expected that now that he does not face so many left-handers, as he did against the Phillies, he can recover his usual contribution with the bat. Last year, in the Division Series against San Diego he finished 4-for-20, Tanner Scott struck him out the four times he saw him and Yu Darvish dominated him the six times he faced him, including three strikeouts. For the Championship Series, against the New York Mets, he went 8-for-22 with a pair of home runs and an OPS of 1.185, so it seems difficult for the Japanese to increase his offensive numbers.
Ohtani had an incredible 50-50 campaign in 2024 and this year, when he will surely win his fourth Most Valuable Player award, he inaugurated a new 50-50 club, the one with at least 50 home runs and at least 50 prescribed strikeouts. Ohtani set a new franchise record for the second consecutive year with 55 home runs, also 146 runs scored and tied with Mookie Betts (2023) for the most leadoff home runs in a season, with 12.
He led the Major Leagues with 89 extra-base hits and 380 total bases while leading the National League with a .622 slugging percentage and a 1.014 OPS. He finished second in the NL in home runs, walks (109, one shy of the Dodgers’ record) and on-base percentage (.392).
He finished the season with a 31-game on-base streak, the longest by a Dodgers player since Max Muncy’s 34-game stretch in 2019 (May 17 – June 25).
Ohtani’s 109 home runs in his first two seasons with the Dodgers put him tied with Alex Rodriguez (2001-02) for the second most all-time by a player in his first two seasons with a franchise. Only Babe Ruth (113 with the 1920-21 Yankees) had more.
Faced with a new subject in the National League Championship Series, fans hope that the large numbers of the regular role will support a good performance in the postseason. The desire is for the Dodgers to become the first two-time MLB champion since the Yankees won the three-time championship between 1998 and 2000.
Will Shohei Ohtani be a key factor with the wood to achieve this? We will see it starting tonight, when the Championship Series begins against the Brewers.
Information from the Los Angeles Dodgers and Major League Baseball was used in this story.
