A heckler next to the Los Angeles Dodgers’ dugout spent his entire Sunday giving an earful to the visitors, including a non-stop barrage of digs and chirps at Shohei Ohtani for his hitless performance in a portentous weekend series against the San Diego Padres.
When Ohtani crushed his 45th homer and delivered the knockout blow in the ninth inning of the Dodgers’ 8-2 victory, the normally decorous three-time MVP detoured on his way back to the dugout to slap hands — and get the last word — with the chagrined Padres fan.
The Dodgers loved to see it, along with just about everything else that transpired in the final four innings of a win that evened the NL West race yet again with 31 games left.
“It was very out of character from Shohei, (but the heckler) was wearing him out the whole game,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “So it was good to see Shohei initiate a high-five from him. That was great. That was fun. It was good to see Shohei show his personality.”
Ohtani didn’t speak to reporters afterward, but he didn’t need a loudmouth fan to tell him that he was 0 for 10 with two walks in the series before his 409-foot homer off Yuki Matsui.
His fellow Dodgers had already delivered by then, with rookie Dalton Rushing’s tiebreaking three-run shot in the seventh inning sandwiched between clutch homers in back-to-back innings by Freddie Freeman.
“I think he was just kind of talking to Shohei the whole game, so I’m glad Shohei was able to give him a little something else to cheer about,” Freeman said with a grin.
Freeman and the rest of the Dodgers heard plenty of yapping from the stands during the weekend in the latest chapter of what might currently be the liveliest rivalry in the sport. The noise intensified as Los Angeles lost the first two games while managing just five combined hits — but the defending champs still managed to head home smiling and even with the Padres at 74-57.
When asked if the rivalry is the best in baseball, Rushing replied: “I think so. I think it’s pretty safe to say. You see the atmosphere we play in, whether it’s here or in LA. I think it’s pretty special. There’s something to it. There [are] a whole lot of superstars on the sphere, and it’s enjoyable to play in these video games.”
Each groups may discover causes to be optimistic after wrapping up the regular-season matchups between two World Sequence contenders which have additionally met in three of the previous 5 postseasons, with the Dodgers successful two of these matchups.
The Dodgers have already received the season collection with San Diego 9-4, giving them the tiebreaker if the golf equipment are nonetheless even 31 video games from now.
San Diego nonetheless took two of three on the weekend with phenomenal beginning pitching from a membership that already has a bullpen that may very well be the most effective within the majors — its poor efficiency Sunday however, after all.
Jeremiah Estrada gave up a homer in his second consecutive sport when Dashing linked, whereas Wandy Peralta and Matsui additionally surrendered late homers.
However Yu Darvish, Nestor Cortes and Nick Pivetta mixed to permit simply 4 hits and three runs by the Dodgers over 18 innings. In a brief October collection, the Padres are assured they have the arms to match Ohtani, Freeman and the Dodgers’ highly effective lineup.
“We could not be extra thrilled,” San Diego supervisor Mike Shildt mentioned. “We’re taking part in excellent baseball, so I do not are inclined to get too caught up in right now. At this time we had been disillusioned. Did not occur for us. We could not be extra thrilled. We’re tied for our division lead and anticipate to go win it.”
The division race means one thing to each groups — and never simply because they’d each want to not play a dangerous wild card playoff collection in early October.
The Dodgers have received 11 of the final 12 NL West titles, whereas the Padres have not received the division since 2006. San Diego is closing in on its fourth playoff berth in six seasons in the course of the longest run of sustained success in workforce historical past.
Whereas the rivals will not meet once more within the common season, each groups acknowledge they’re going to be watching what the opposite does down the stretch.
“We’re going to deal with the following nevertheless many video games till the common season is over like we’re neck-and-neck with them,” Dashing mentioned. “Whether or not we’re tied within the division or we’re eight video games out, we’ll deal with it prefer it’s the identical, and I believe it is a good factor. You maintain a aggressive edge ending out the common season, and that is what you sort of carry into the postseason.”
Reporting by The Related Press.
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