The Los Angeles Dodgers made quick work of the Cincinnati Reds in the Wild Card Round of the playoffs. Now, the Philadelphia Phillies stand in their way. The Dodgers will send Shohei Ohtani to the mound for Game 1 — marking his first time pitching in the postseason.
“I know that Sho will revel being in that environment and pitching in Game 1," president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said. "I think we have a really talented rotation. I think it's going to be a strength for us if we go forward."
Ohtani has been breaking records all season for both the Dodgers and Major League Baseball. One of his latest milestones hadn’t been matched since Ken Griffey Jr.
“Shohei Ohtani has 102 home runs and 77 stolen bases since the beginning of last season. The next-most stolen bases by any player in a two-year span that they hit at least 100 home runs is 44 by Ken Griffey Jr. in 1998-1999,” Opta Stats posted.
When Ohtani takes the mound in Philadelphia on Saturday, he’ll once again be part of baseball history.
“Shohei Ohtani is scheduled to start Game 1 of the NLDS. He would be the first player in MLB history to have a multi-homer game & pitch a game in the same postseason,” Opta Stats wrote.
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Ohtani continues to prove he’s simply the best in the game. There has never been anyone like him — and to make things tougher for the Phillies, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts issued a warning.
“He’s in and has been in postseason mode,” Roberts told reporters. “His September has been fantastic — at-bat quality, you can see it on the mound, he’s got a different look right now.”
Ohtani keeps raising the bar at the professional level, and Saturday night should be no different. The Phillies won’t be an easy challenge by any means.
One thing to watch: Ohtani hasn’t pitched more than six innings in a single game all season. But when he takes the mound, MLB history will be made.