Shohei Ohtani is headed to the post-season for the first time in his career after the Los Angeles Dodgers won the National League West on Thursday by scoring five runs in the seventh inning in a 7-2 win over the second-placed San Diego Padres.
The Japanese superstar spent his first six MLB seasons in Anaheim, where the Los Angeles Angels never had a winning record or played in the post-season, before he signed a US$700 million, 10-year deal with the Dodgers.
He made a rookie mistake, though. Ohtani was not wearing goggles like most of his teammates during the alcohol-soaked clubhouse celebration. He blinked hard several times and his eyes appeared red while talking to media outside the throbbing party.
Photo: AP
“It stung a little bit in my eyes,” he said, smiling. “It was an awesome feeling and I’m hoping to be able to continue popping more champagne.”
Ohtani went three for five, driving in a go-ahead run and scoring another.
“Today I came to the stadium really wanting to clinch and I’m glad that we were able to do that,” Ohtani said through an interpreter.
Ohtani’s blue T-shirt was soaked through and his dark hair dampened. Cigar smoke spilled out of the clubhouse.
“Shohei was showered with champagne. He’s going to smell like a brewery for the next week,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “This is what Shohei signed up for, this is what he wanted to be a part of. Shohei’s just been remarkable this entire season.”
Ohtani earlier this month became the first player in major league history with 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a season. He reached 400 total bases on Thursday, becoming the first player to do so since 2001.
The Dodgers had not clinched at home since the COVID-19 pandemic-shortened 2020 season, when cardboard cutouts replaced fans in the stands. The last time fans were on hand for a clincher at home was 2018.
“It’s total chaos, which is exactly how it should be and it never gets old,” Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes said.
A sellout crowd of 52,433, including retired Dodgers star Manny Ramirez, packed Dodger Stadium for the finale of the crucial series. They earned their 41st comeback victory of the season, top in the National League.
“Just a lot of fight by these guys,” said Dodgers catcher Will Smith, who joined his teammates in donning T-shirts that read “We Own the West.”
In New York, Aaron Judge hit his major league-leading 58th home run, going deep for the fifth straight game to help the New York Yankees wrap up their second American League East title in three years with a 10-1 victory over the Baltimore Orioles.
Giancarlo Stanton had four RBIs that included his 27th homer, Alex Verdugo also homered and Gerrit Cole outpitched Corbin Burnes in a possible post-season preview. Judge and Stanton homered in the same game for the 14th time this year, tying Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris in 1961 for the most in Yankees history.
New York assured themselves a first-round bye and home-field advantage in a best-of-five American League Division Series starting next Saturday.
“Coming up short last year, it stings,” Judge said. “It hurts just like any other year that you don’t win a World Series, but that one hurt a little bit more. So we wanted to make a statement, come back here and put ourselves in a good position going into the post-season.”
Baltimore, who clinched a post-season berth by winning Tuesday night’s opener of the three-game series, are to play in a best-of-three wild card series starting on Tuesday.
“They played better than us in the second half and we’re excited to be in the playoffs,” Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said. “We still have some work to do, but give them credit for playing well.”
Stanton homered in the second inning to put the Yankees ahead and hit a three-run double in a six-run sixth.
Judge hit a two-run homer in the seventh against Bryan Baker and has 144 RBIs, the most in the major leagues since Ryan Howard’s 146 in 2008. Judge matched his career best by homering in five consecutive games.
Making his last start before the playoffs, Cole (8-5) allowed two hits in 6-2/3 innings, struck out five and walked one, lowering his ERA to 3.41.
Elsewhere, the Athletics edged the Rangers 3-2, the Tigers tamed the Rays 4-3, the Brewers beat the Pirates 5-2, the Royals defeated the Nationals 7-4, the White Sox spanked the Angels 7-0, the Rockies overcame the Cardinals 10-8 and the Marlins mastered the Twins 8-6 in 13 innings.
Additional reporting by staff writer
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