Shohei Ohtani is looking to top himself in his first playoff appearance with the Dodgers
LOS ANGELES (AP) – Shohei Ohtani was already a superstar with his hitting and pitching accomplishments over six years with the Los Angeles Angels. Yet every October, Ohtani vanished, with the Angels having a losing record and never making the playoffs.
Coming up Interstate 5 to the Los Angeles Dodgers seemingly changed everything – for him and the franchise.
“I´m just like the fans,” All-Star teammate Mookie Betts said, “I´m looking forward to seeing Shohei play in the postseason.”
Ohtani’s two-way talents are unlikely to be fully displayed, as he is still rehabbing from a second major elbow surgery a year ago. Manager Dave Roberts had floated the possibility of Ohtani helping out on the mound, but recently backed away, saying, “I just don´t see it happening.”
Still, the Dodgers’ $700 million man can impact games like no other player. He unveiled a different unprecedented two-way skillset this season, creating baseball´s 50-50 club – the first player with 50 homers and 50 stolen bases in a season. He finished with 54 homers and 59 steals.
He also fell just short of being the NL’s first Triple Crown winner since 1937. He led the league in homers and RBIs (130) and finished second with a .310 batting average to San Diego’s Luis Arráez (.314). Among his astounding numbers: a .646 slugging percentage, 134 runs scored, 411 total bases and an OPS over 1.000.
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Ohtani helped the Dodgers finish with the best record in the majors (98-64) for the third time in five years and win the National League West title for the 11th time in 12 years.
“The most important part of all this is I was able to play consistently throughout the whole year,” he said through an interpreter.
The Dodgers open the postseason Saturday in the NL Division Series. They’ve clinched home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.
Ohtani wanted to play meaningful games in October and have a shot at winning a World Series. That meant getting out of Anaheim.
He signed a record $700 million, 10-year contract with the Dodgers in December. Its structure gives the team more payroll flexibility in the coming years and allows Ohtani to defer compensation, which could help him avoid paying millions in state taxes if he lives outside California when the deferred money is paid.
His deal includes a luxury suite for home games, where his new wife, Mamiko Tanaka, and their dog, Decoy, have been spotted.
Ohtani isn´t the only one cashing in.
His presence is generating money for the Dodgers, who signed a slew of Japanese sponsors this season. Tours of Dodger Stadium attract hordes of Japanese fans wearing No. 17 jerseys who learn about the third-oldest ballpark in the majors from guides speaking their native language.
Tomoko Suto and her sister recently flew from Japan to see Ohtani for three games at Dodger Stadium. The 62-year-old Tokyo resident said they scrimped on airfare and hotel costs to spend more money on good seats and a stadium tour.
“I’m proud of him as a Japanese,” Suto said, wearing an Ohtani T-shirt. “As a boy he only focused on baseball and doing very, very good job. I´m very impressed and it made me want to watch him.”
Major League Baseball and MLB Players Inc. are cranking out T-shirts, coins, water bottles, towels, trading cards and other licensed souvenirs commemorating Ohtani’s 50-50 achievement.
His two bobblehead nights caused massive traffic tie-ups around the stadium and had fans lined up hours before the gates opened trying to snag
