A few years ago, as Major League Baseball’s September was winding down, a friend who is a die-hard Yankees fan proclaimed, “That’s it, the season is over,” as his beloved pin-strippers were eliminated from playoff contention. The statement didn’t reflect reality, but as the calendar flipped to October, many local fans have seen their favorite team pack their gear and head home.
As this is being written, with days remaining, a few playoff spots were still up for grabs. The long, 162-game marathon regular season has turned into an October sprint, and there are many smiling faces for local followers of those same Yankees, as well as the Phillies, Orioles, and perhaps the Mets, as the playoff countdown to the World Series begins this week.
As a youngster, we got our first family dog just as the Fall Classic between the Yankees and Dodgers was about to begin. Debating what we would name the puppy and definitely rooting against the Yankees — it was obvious the new pup was christened ‘Dodger.’ She was with us well into my college years, and each year at this time (despite my rooting interests for other teams), I think about the joy that pooch brought to our lives.
Today, Dodger fans among us are giddy over the sight of their $700-million import via crosstown and Japan getting his first chance to perform on MLB’s biggest stage in his first World Series. Shohei Ohtani has arrived, and the superlatives have been exhausted in describing his accomplishments.
In case you’ve been ‘Rip Van Winkling’ it, en route to the playoffs, Ohtani became the first player in MLB history to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in a single season. The feat was finalized on September 19 in what may have been the greatest single-game performance in the sport’s history.
On the day, the Dodgers clinched a playoff spot. Ohtani went 6-6, with 3 home runs, 10 RBI, 17 total bases, and 2 stolen bases in a 20-4 win in Miami.
Former MLB and Japanese player Tom O’Malley took time to recall his early impressions of Ohtani’s play.
“When I was coaching with the Hanshin Tigers we played them in spring training. He was the starting pitcher for the Nippon-Ham Fighters and threw six innings against us. I was impressed. I didn’t see him hit that day. Later, we played them during the regular season and didn’t score any runs. He was such a dominant pitcher we had trouble figuring him out, but we bunted a couple of times, and he threw the ball away, and we beat them 1-0.
“You could see he was blessed with a ton of natural ability as a pitcher. When he came over here to the Major Leagues, I don’t think anybody thought he would be doing something no one else had ever done in the history of the game.
“The baseball workout program in Japan is very rigorous, and I think that has obviously helped his development. They train hard every day, and they run a lot. When I was over there, they were just starting to get into weight training. When I saw him in Japan he was hitting 25-30 home runs. I would watch him in batting practice, and he was hitting impressive shots.
“In Japan, he used to have a high leg kick as a timing mechanism because he saw breaking balls and off-speed pitches. Since he came to the States, he has really figured it out. He has eliminated the leg kick. Now, his foot just goes down, and he doesn’t really stride. Sometimes, it is like watching a video game when you see what he has been doing at the plate.
“When I first saw him, I thought he could come to the Major Leagues and have success as a pitcher. Several Japanese pitchers have been successful in MLB because their style of pitching is something hitters don’t see a lot. He could throw 95+ with good breaking stuff. I saw the early power he had at the plate, but he was raw as a hitter. What he is doing now couldn’t be anticipated.
“I saw him field bunts on defense, and you could see he was very athletic. The stolen bases have taken his game to a new level. When he is pitching, you can’t be stealing bases like he is this year. When he gets back to both hitting and pitching, I don’t think he’ll be stealing as much as he has been this season.
“That game he had was an unbelievable performance. It has to be one of the most remarkable individual accomplishments of an athlete in any sport. Wilt Chamberlain scored 100 points in a game, but as far as baseball is concerned, I don’t see how anyone could do any better.”
As the race to the World Series begins, many fans are anticipating an Aaron Judge vs. Ohtani matchup. O’Malley is among them.
“It would be awesome. Two of the faces of baseball going at each other. MLB would be google-eyed about it just based on the New York/LA media market. That’s what they’d like to see in the World Series. If it happens, it will be a dream scenario for the ratings. In any sport, you want to see the big stars involved. There is nothing bigger than Judge and Ohtani.”
