Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani should win his second straight MVP award in a few weeks, but before then he hopes to secure his first World Series crown. Ohtani had never played in the MLB postseason before the 2024 campaign, and his actions after Monday's Game 2 loss prove he still has a lot to learn.
Ohtani was largely shut down by New York Mets ace Sean Manaea, as Shohei struck out two times and walked twice as well. Even the best players have an off night, and in Ohtani's early playoff career, he's slashed .222/.344/.333 with a home run and 5 RBIs. He has an OPS below .700 in that sample size, which is below league average for regular-season batting.
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Perhaps even more complicated is Ohtani's relationship with the media. Shohei traditionally speaks through an interpreter, but refrained from making such comments after his Game 2 struggles. Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times tried to speak with him, as Hernandez knows some Japanese, which is Ohtani's native tongue. Initially, Ohtani claimed he didn't want to give Hernandez special treatment over other media.
As Hernandez reassured Shohei, he called over a team employee and asked for permission to be interviewed. That PR spokesperson declined, thus leaving Hernandez without any real substance beyond his memory of Ohtani's plate appearances, and that experience, which he wrote about on Tuesday.
"Well, I suppose that’s better than him doing a Lincoln Riley and saying defensively, “There ain’t nobody taking more responsibility than I am,” but Ohtani sure made himself look coddled, didn’t he?" Hernandez wrote. "I’ve generally refrained from speaking to Ohtani outside of team-organized scrums, but Ohtani’s three at-bats against Mets starter Sean Manaea were arguably his three worst of the entire postseason."
Ohtani is uncomfortable speaking to the media for many valid reasons, but if he is not going to provide a defense of his performance so far this postseason against so-called Ohtani stoppers like Yu Darvish, Tanner Scott and now Manaea, perhaps his bat can do the talking for him.
The Dodgers face another tough matchup on Wednesday night in Game 3, as the Mets send Luis Severino to the bump. Ohtani is 3-for-6 with a home run in eight plate appearances against Severino, so this could be another breakout game for the Dodgers star.
