PHILADELPHIA – Bryce Harper was still an outfielder with the Washington Nationals. DH Kyle Schwarber was still a folk hero at Wrigley Field. The Philadelphia Phillies were in the midst of a 10-year postseason drought.
And Shohei Ohtani was making his major-league debut for the Los Angeles Angels.
It was March 29, 2018.
Now, seven years, six months and five days later (2,746 days, to be exact), Ohtani, the greatest show on Earth, will be making his first pitching appearance in a postseason game Saturday night (6:38 p.m. ET, TBS) when the Los Angeles Dodgers face the Philadelphia Phillies in Game 1 of the National League Division Series.
This is the moment he has been awaiting his entire life.
Sure, he made history as the first player to hit 50 homers and steal 50 bases last year. He helped lead the Dodgers to the World Series title over the New York Yankees as a DH. He pitched Japan to the championship in the World Baseball Classic, striking out Mike Trout for the final out.
But now, for the first time, he’ll be a two-way player in the postseason, leading off for the Dodgers as a DH Saturday, and then stepping onto the mound to be their starting pitcher.
The last time we saw a true two-way player like this in the postseason was Babe Ruth when he was a starting pitcher in Game 1 of the 1918 World Series, leading the Boston Red Sox to a 1-0 victory over the Chicago Cubs.
“The thing that’s aways so impressive to me with Sho,’’ Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy told USA TODAY Sports, “is to go out there, dominate on the mound, and then rushing into the dugout, putting his stuff on, and hopping in the batter’s box. I think about how well I sleep after I play a long game, because when you watch him after those games, he’s just absolutely gassed.
“I mean, that’s a lot to ask of somebody, and he does it every single day. You know he really loves (pitching). He really loves focusing on pitching. And he really loves everything that comes with preparing to pitch.
“The amount of work he puts in every day for pitching is just incredible to watch, and that’s obviously behind-the-scenes stuff that not everyone sees. When you look at just the amount of work he’s done, it’s incredible that he can still play the way he plays.’’
Ohtani, who normally keeps his emotions in check, didn’t try to disguise his excitement. Sure, he made 86 starts in six seasons with the Los Angeles Angels, but never did they sniff the postseason.
Now, he’s finally in the postseason as a genuine two-way player.
“Just really looking forward to it,’’ he said. “I’m sure I’ll be nervous at times. But more than that, I’m just really grateful that I get to play baseball at this time of the year. And just being healthy is really important to me, so I’m just grateful for that.’’
He’s even anxiously awaiting the hostile atmosphere at Citizens Bank Park, which can make life a bit uncomfortable for opposing players, to put it mildly.
“They’re known to be very passionate fans,’’ Ohtani says. “The atmosphere, I’m sure, is going to be passionate and rocking, as well. And one thing I do know is that they serve really good (Philly) cheesesteaks at the clubhouse.’’
Ohtani, who made his way back to pitching in mid-June after recovering from his second Tommy John surgery, says he feels normal once again.
It was validated when the Dodgers took off the gloves Sept. 16 against these same Phillies at Dodger Stadium. Ohtani merely pitched five no-hit innings against the Phillies, showing for the first time that he was out of rehab mode, and was now a starter with no health concerns. For an encore, he pitched six shutout innings against the Arizona Diamondbacks, throwing a season-high 91 pitches, in his last regular-season start.
“I think even right before that start he said he was out of the rehab mode,’’ Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “And obviously you’re playing a very talented team in the Phillies at that point in time. So you saw a really good Shohei that night.’’
Good?
How about sensational?
“He was phenomenal,’’ Phillies manager Rob Thomson said. “It’s the combination of power and control, command, stuff. He was really good. He was pumping strikes, and it was 98-, 99-mph. And the secondary pitches are all way above-average. So if he’s doing that, it’s a tough task.’’
Said Ohtani: “I’m very glad that I was able to end the rehab progression at that moment.’’
It was a moment in time where the Dodgers morphed from a powerful contender to perhaps the World Series favorite, with their starting rotation becoming a three-headed beast with Blake Snell, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Ohtani.
Phillies pitcher Walker Buehler, who saw Ohtani’s progress firsthand last season while with the Dodgers, had a feeling this day was coming. He just wished it was delayed a bit … like into next season.
“Having gone through the second surgery, it’s a different monster,’’ Buehler said. “Him being active and playing, it’s probably helpful in a lot of ways. I think there’s some aspects of him playing that help him physically in terms of this rehab process. The flip side is the load, and the load managing, and stuff like that because he’s doing both.
“Crazy body, with crazy work ethic, and crazy talent. And the ability to put them all together is what makes him really special. It’s a hard thing to deal with to have that second surgery, but if there’s anyone that there was very little doubt about him being successful, it was him.’’
The Phillies are hoping that their recent familiarity with Ohtani, seeing him just three weeks ago, could pay off, Phillies third baseman Alec Bohm said. This was the first time they had ever faced him in their careers, so this time around, they won’t be surprised watching him throw five different pitches, all for strikes.
They vow to be more patient, more selective, trying to get into the Dodgers’ flawed bullpen, which yielded a 10.38 ERA in their two-game wild-card series against the Cincinnati Reds. If not, well, it could be an awful long evening, which could turn into an early winter.
“I think our goal, doesn’t matter who we’re facing, try to get the starter out of the game as soon as we can,’’ Thomson says. “So that’s really what our game plan is. I don’t think it’s a secret. …. What we really want to do is keep the ball in the strike zone. That’s really the goal. If you can do that, you’ll build pitch counts.’’
And to that, well, Ohtani says good luck.
“I’m sure there’s pros and cons on both sides as a pitcher and hitters facing me,’’ Ohtani says. “Having the history provides a little more context.’’
Ohtani paused, broke into a smile, and said: “We’re going to find out.’’
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