Los Angeles Dodgers supervisor Dave Roberts performed alongside Barry Bonds and had a front-row seat to the seven-time Nationwide League Most Invaluable Participant when he was at his finest.
Roberts stated he has solely seen one participant akin to Bonds: Shohei Ohtani.
A form gesture! Ohtani quietly helps teammates with unnoticed Japanese transfer
Ohtani cemented his rising legend on Friday night time, hitting a three-run homer to cap a six-run ninth inning within the Dodgers’ unlikely 14-11 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks.
“Between him and Barry Bonds, they’re the 2 finest gamers I’ve ever seen,” Roberts stated. “I performed with Barry, however what Sho does in crunch time, I’ve by no means seen earlier than.”
Blue Jays vs. Angels Highlights
The Dodgers and Diamondbacks performed one of the crucial thrilling video games of the season, combining for 25 runs, 26 hits, two blown leads of at the least three runs and 7 dwelling runs.
All of it got here all the way down to Ohtani.
Ohtani is aware of when to step up
The Japanese star has proven an incredible capability to shine in key moments throughout his eight-year profession, first with the Los Angeles Angels and the final two seasons with the Dodgers.
Ohtani, one of many two gamers who’ve received the MVP in each leagues, twice within the American League and as soon as within the Nationwide League, got here to the plate within the ninth inning after the Dodgers rallied with three runs to tie the rating at 11.
Reliever Ryan Thompson entered the sport to face Ohtani with runners on first and second.
Thompson went forward 1-2 on Ohtani however left a breaking ball on the within nook. Ohtani took benefit of it and despatched it deep into the right-field stands for his twelfth dwelling run of the season. He threw the bat and raised his arms in celebration, just like what Arizona’s Lourdes Gurriel Jr. did after a game-tying grand slam within the fifth.
“It was an incredible sport,” Ohtani stated. “It is not the sort of sport we play lots, however that we scored a lot, that they got here again, that we got here again once more… it was very emotional.”
A loopy sport of a number of comebacks
Ohtani kicked off the wild night time with a 423-foot double that hit the center-field wall, a 108 mph shot that might have gone out in most ballparks.
It wasn’t even the toughest hit of the primary inning. Ketel Marte of Arizona hit the primary of his two solo dwelling runs (113.1 exit velocity), and Eugenio Suarez adopted with a two-run homer.
The Dodgers then had their flip to bat.
Enrique Hernandez hit a house run to guide off the second inning, Ohtani added an RBI double and Los Angeles went up 8-3 after a five-run third inning.
The Dodgers’ bats went silent after that, hitless over the subsequent 4 innings, and the Diamondbacks got here to life.
Gurriel hit the seventh grand slam of his profession within the fifth inning, and Arizona went up 9-8 with a bases-loaded stroll. The Diamondbacks stored hitting, going forward 11-8 with back-to-back solo homers by Marte and pinch-hitter Randal Grichuk within the eighth.
Apparently in management, Arizona despatched Kevin Ginkel to pitch the ninth, and Freddie Freeman greeted him with a single; Andy Pages, who drove in three runs, adopted with an RBI double, Hernandez tied it and Max Muncy hit an RBI single to tie the sport at 11.
Ginkel was pulled after hitting Michael Conforto with a pitch, leaving Thompson to face Ohtani with two on and one out.
Then Ohtani did what he does finest.
“Any time you see Sho in these conditions, you anticipate one thing unbelievable,” Muncy stated. “He hardly ever disappoints, and that is no completely different.”
