As the Los Angeles Dodgers close in on their 11th National League West title in 12 seasons, they carry with them a seemingly unstoppable force not with them the last 10 times they won the division.
Shohei Ohtani's offensive game is in full glory ahead of the Dodgers' key three-game series against the visiting San Diego Padres starting Tuesday.
Ohtani's unmatched 50-50 season is one thing. His one-day wrecking ball of a game last week at Miami, when he had six hits, three home runs, two steals and 10 RBIs, has its own legendary status. But it was just part of a wildly historic week.
Over his last seven games, Ohtani batted .500 (16-for-32) with six home runs, seven stolen bases, 11 runs, 17 RBIs and a 1.668 OPS. No player has ever had six home runs and seven steals in a seven-game span.
The one-week run ended Sunday with four more hits, two stolen bases and a game-tying home run to lead off the ninth inning. Three pitches later, Mookie Betts gave the Dodgers a 6-5 victory over the Colorado Rockies with a home run of his own.
"To start that ninth inning with Shohei continuing to do what he does, he just doesn't seem human right now," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. "I really haven't seen a player as locked (in) like Shohei is, for as long as he's been, in quite some time."
The Dodgers (93-63) have a magic number of four to finish off the second-place Padres for the division title.
The Dodgers will send right-handed rookie Landon Knack (3-4, 3.39 ERA) to the mound in the series opener after he pitched five scoreless innings in a win over the Miami Marlins on Wednesday. Knack will be facing the Padres for the first time.
The Padres have done all they can to catch the Dodgers in the standings but are running out of time. They appeared to have the deficit down to two games on Sunday before Ohtani's and Betts' heroics.
San Diego is on a four-game winning streak after sweeping the lowly Chicago White Sox at home and have won eight of their last nine, a run that has gained them only two games in the standings.
San Diego (90-66) has won 90 games for the first time since 2010, and its magic number for clinching a playoff spot is down to one.
The Padres scored three runs in the eighth inning in Sunday's 4-2 victory over the White Sox, capping the scoring burst on a home run from Fernando Tatis Jr., his 20th of the season.
"We've got a really good team here, and we're going to continue doing what we've been doing all year," said Padres third baseman, and former Dodger, Manny Machado. "Nothing's going to change. Go out there, play some good baseball, finish out the year right."
The Padres are expected to send right-hander Michael King (12-9, 3.04) to the mound on Tuesday. King is 1-0 with a 3.63 ERA lifetime against the Dodgers in four appearances (two starts).
King has faced Los Angeles three times (two starts) this season and has a 4.11 ERA with 20 strikeouts in 15 1/3 innings, but has allowed five home runs. Ohtani has three lifetime home runs against King and Betts has two.
