Shohei Ohtani is headed to the postseason for the primary time in his profession after the Los Angeles Dodgers gained the NL West on Thursday night time by scoring 5 runs within the seventh inning in a 7-2 win over the second-place San Diego Padres.
The Japanese celebrity spent his first six MLB seasons in Anaheim, the place the Los Angeles Angels by no means had a successful report or performed in October. He signed a $700m, 10-year take care of the Dodgers final offseason.
He made a rookie mistake, although. Ohtani wasn’t carrying goggles like most of his teammates throughout the alcohol-soaked clubhouse celebration. He blinked laborious a number of instances and his eyes appeared purple whereas speaking to media exterior the throbbing get together.
“It stung a bit of bit in my eyes,” he stated, smiling. “It was an superior feeling and I’m hoping to have the ability to proceed popping extra champagne.”
Ohtani went 3 for five, driving in a go-ahead run and scoring one other.
“At present I got here to the stadium actually eager to clinch and I’m glad that we have been in a position to do this,” Ohtani stated by an interpreter.
Ohtani’s blue T-shirt was soaked by and his darkish hair dampened. Cigar smoke spilled out of the clubhouse.
“Shohei was showered with champagne. He’s going to scent like a brewery for the subsequent week,” supervisor Dave Roberts stated. “That is what Shohei signed up for, that is what he wished to be part of. Shohei’s simply been exceptional this whole season.”
Ohtani lately turned the primary participant in main league historical past with 50 residence runs and 50 stolen bases in a season. He reached 400 whole bases Thursday, changing into the primary participant to take action since 2001.
The Dodgers had not clinched at residence for the reason that pandemic-shortened 2020 season, when cardboard cutouts changed followers within the stands. The final time followers have been readily available for a clincher at residence was 2018.
“It’s whole chaos which is precisely the way it ought to be and it by no means will get previous,” normal supervisor Brandon Gomes stated.
A sellout crowd of 52,433, together with retired Dodgers star Manny Ramirez, packed Dodger Stadium for the finale of the essential collection. They earned their forty first comeback victory of the season, tops within the Nationwide League.
“Simply lots of combat by these guys,” stated catcher Will Smith, who joined his teammates in donning T-shirts that learn ‘We Personal the West’.
The Dodgers took two of three from the Padres and head to Colorado for a three-game set to conclude the common season.
Their eleventh division title in 12 seasons earned them a first-round bye within the postseason. That can give All-Star first baseman Freddie Freeman time to get well from an injured proper ankle that he sustained late within the recreation. He was on crutches and in a strolling boot after the sport.
The Dodgers improved to 95-64 and can open the playoffs on 5 October at residence in a best-of-five Division Sequence.
Smith hit a tying, two-run homer off Joe Musgrove to begin the Dodgers’ rally. Musgrove had held them scoreless by six innings because the Padres took a 2-0 lead.
“It acquired everybody going,” stated Smith, who has 20 homers in a season for the third time in his profession.
Musgrove gave up a leadoff stroll to Max Muncy. Smith adopted with a 426-foot shot to heart, tying the sport at 2-2. It was the Dodgers’ first residence run of the three-game collection.
Pinch-hitter Kiké Hernández singled and took second when Andy Pages reached on catcher’s interference by Kyle Higashioka. Ohtani singled and Hernández scored on an error, whereas Ohtani was protected at second on Fernando Tatis Jr’s throwing error.
Pages and Ohtani scored on Mookie Betts’ single to make it 5-2.
Pages added a two-run, two-strike, two-out homer within the eighth.
The rally towards the Padres was dampened by Freeman’s departure after awkwardly colliding with Luis Arraez and the primary base bag making an attempt to keep away from being tagged for the second out of the seventh. Freeman grabbed at his decrease proper leg earlier than hobbling off the sphere.
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