Dodgers and Blue Jays talk about what makes Shohei Ohtani a special player
USA TODAY Sports interviewed members of the Dodgers and Blue Jays ahead of the World Series to discuss Shohi Ohtani’s unique talent.
sports pulse
TORONTO — They started the night closest to any team repeating as World Series champions in a quarter-century.
After the ninth inning, the shocked Los Angeles Dodgers, who were no closer to their goal, suddenly realized how difficult it would be to reach their goal.
Their ace stumbled. Never one to stop being buffeted by injuries, poor performances, and tragic circumstances, their makeshift bullpen overcame an embarrassing nine runs in one inning. Their dual-wielding superstar was mercilessly mocked by a fanbase still annoyed that he didn’t pick them.
And by the end of the night, the Toronto Blue Jays’ 11-4 victory served as a stark testament to the reality of a club that seemed indomitable.
And right now we may be facing some very difficult times.
They have won nine of 10 playoff games this season and enter Game 1 of this World Series with a record of 20-6 over the past two October postseasons. Blue Jays batters cornered ace Blake Snell against the ropes and wouldn’t let him go, but they left with black eyes.
It took Snell 100 pitches to get 15 outs and he was retired with the bases loaded in the sixth inning. Then, after the Blue Jays’ endless at-bats, bases loaded walks, grand slams, and knocks against the wall, nine runs crossed the plate.
And the two relief pitchers the Dodgers expected to protect the lineup, right-hander Emmett Sheehan and left-hander Anthony Banda, were knocked out.
It was Banda who made history by giving Addison Berger the first pinch-hit grand slam in World Series history. The left-on-left matchup should have been in his favor, but his 2-on-1 slider didn’t go up enough. It landed in the right field seats, giving Toronto a 9-2 lead and shaking his old home, the Rogers Center, to its core.
“They need to bounce back,” manager Dave Roberts said of Banda and Sheehan, who caused havoc by committing two cardinal sins: walking four batters they faced and allowing an RBI to the No. 9 batter.
“Anthony has been very good for us and left us with some breaking balls. But yeah, with the structure of the pen, we’re going to need them. So we still have a long way to go and a lot of baseball to play, but they certainly need to pitch well.”
The Dodgers will be without top left-hander Alex Bashear for the series due to a family emergency. However, the decrease from Basia to Banda is not that large. Banda entered Game 1 in the past two postseasons, facing 48 batters, retiring 32 of them and scoring just one run.
But with Banda joining the Dodgers’ corps of relievers, from big-time free agents like Tanner Scott and Kirby Yates to veteran stalwart Blake Treinen, Berger’s outburst will be difficult to overcome. They’re going to have to wash this fight off somehow very quickly.
“You’re just trying to find out,” Banda says. “As far as the bullpen, that’s something we weren’t able to do today.
“When you’re done, it’s lights out. It’s that simple. Have confidence in that. But tonight was really bad.”
Snell’s Night may not be called “very bad”, perhaps only when compared to his recent work. He started in three playoff games and entered Game 1 with a 0.86 ERA, allowing only six hits and three runs, holding off Cincinnati, Philadelphia, and Milwaukee.
But this is Toronto. And Snell was anything but indomitable.
“We know how good we are. They came out swinging and played a better game,” said Snell, who allowed eight hits with three walks and a batter. “There are no excuses. There are no excuses.
“I need to get better. I need to throw strikes. I know I can do it. I need to find a way to get better.”
That won’t be an issue for him until Game 5, which could be played at Dodger Stadium. In Game 2, Yoshinobu Yamamoto has the experience of saving the Dodgers, and should be able to save them from the harsh reality of the series being 2-0.
At the same time, these Blue Jays are also a beast the Dodgers haven’t seen this season.
“We’ve got one game left. We can’t do anything right now. Just one game. Keep moving,” shortstop Mookie Betts said.
By the ninth inning, a cheerful Blue Jays fan was mocking the great Shohei Ohtani, “We don’t need you!” in reference to his close pursuit of the two-way superstar who eventually signed with the Dodgers.
Ohtani salvaged a two-strikeout night with a two-run home run in garbage time and got some satisfaction.
But Blue Jays fans were right. They didn’t need Ohtani this night. And the Dodgers may soon need more intervention to keep this series alive.
