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Of Course Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto Played Out of Their Minds in the World Series After Looking Human Against the Phillies
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The LA Dodgers went back-to-back as World Series winner for the first time since the Yanks did it in 1999 and 2000. Leading the way was Shohei Ohtani with his 1.278 OPS and Yoshinobu Yamamoto with his 1.02 ERA. They also got 2.2 scoreless innings from Roki Sasaki:
Yamamoto threw nine innings of one-run ball in Game 2, to level the series at one apiece. Then he came back in Game 6 with six innings, allowing one run on five hits in a 3-1 Dodgers win. After throwing 96 pitches in that one, he got the call in Game 7 and threw 2.2 scoreless innings to help complete the comeback.
At the same time, Ohtani, who didn’t have his best stuff on the mound, made up for it by clubbing three homers, driving in five runs, walking nine times, and leading LA with nine hits in the series.
Ohtani and Yamamoto earned $46 million combined this year and will both be in Los Angeles until 2030 at the earliest, when Yamamoto’s first opt-out hits. He signed a 12-year deal worth $325 million.
So you’re annoyed if you’re a Phillies fan.
On one hand, these guys were key in propelling the Dodgers over the hump and past a Blue Jays team that stood right on the precipice of greatness.
On the other hand, Ohtani went 1 for 18 in the NLDS and finished with a .206 OPS. Yamamoto was chased with three runs on six hits in Game 3, which is the only time in which the bats looked alive in the NLDS.
On a third hand, figuratively, Ohtani did have a good start in Game 1 at Citizens Bank Park, and Sasaki gave the Dodgers 4.1 innings of no-run baseball.
It’s a mixed bag, but pulling from the mantra of “more than one thing can be true,” you rue the fact that you blew an opportunity against these guys at a rare moment in which they looked human, while also realizing that they’ll never be on your team. The Phillies just are not in the mix for Japanese players, who tend to hang around the west coast, and/or play for the Yanks and Mets. Think Hideki Matsui and Kodai Senga for examples of the latter. Only two Japanese players have ever worn a Phillies uniform, and that’s So Taguchi and Tadahito Iguchi, who weren’t exactly Ichiro out there on the field.
John Middleton and the Phillies spent $290 million on payroll this year. Fourth in MLB. They lost to a team that spent $350 million and was 1st in the league. That’s hard to swallow, because the Phils certainly haven’t been cheap. They are trying to win Middleton’s fucking trophy back, but short of loading the Brinks truck on a barge and steering it to Japan, they probably won’t be getting any of these players, or getting back to the World Series. We’ll see, but I’m not getting my hopes up.
Kevin has been writing about Philadelphia sports since 2009. He spent seven years in the CBS 3 sports department and started with the Union during the team's 2010 inaugural season. He went to the academic powerhouses of Boyertown High School and West Virginia University. email - k.kinkead@sportradar.com