Superstars are paid to show up in the playoffs, and Shohei Ohtani did just that on Saturday night. The Los Angeles Dodgers slugger brought his team out of an early deficit with a three-run to right field.
Ohtani followed it up with an enthusiastic bat flick.
Ohtani's got a rise out of fans on X, formerly known as “Twitter.”
“The bat chuck!” ESPN's Jeff Passan said.
“Super dope to see this type of emotion from Ohtani,” @CharlieQuinnMMA.
“HE HAS ARRIVED,” @LakersLead said.
“Shohei showing emotion is the best feeling in the world! He shows up in big moments!” @bilalsattar said.
“INJECT THIS IN MY VEINS,” @notlyssa said.
Ohtani's first career playoff game has been fruitful, as he also hit a single and scored in the fourth inning. Will “Shotime” help lift Los Angeles to an NL pennant?
Shohei Ohtani is worth price of admission on Dodgers
Ohtani, who spent six non-playoff seasons on the Los Angeles Angels, has been ready for this moment for years, via ESPN's Alden Gonzalez.
“It's always been my childhood dream to be able to be in an important game.” Ohtani said through an interpreter, adding, “So I think the excitement of that is greater than anything else that I could possibly feel.”
Ohtani did win the 2023 World Baseball Classic with his native Japan, ending the title game by striking out then-Angels teammate Mike Trout. However, the MLB Playoffs are a different beast.
“I do think that the postseason is going to be different from the World Baseball Classic, considering that we did have a week off,” Ohtani said. “So I'm doing the best I can to make sure that my first at-bat is really good.”
While Ohtani flew out in his first at-bat, his following two trips to the plate showed why he's one of the greatest to ever play the game.
