Shohei Ohtani Blasts Second Home Run of Postseason Into Space
Shohei Ohtani's second home run of the postseason could hardly be spotted by the naked eye. The Japanese Dodgers superstar finally showed up in the National League Championship Series: blasting a 410-foot rocket into the second deck at Citi Field to put LA up 7-0 in Game 3 — almost requiring a Hubble telescope to spot in the Flushing night sky.
LA sailed to an 8-0 win over New York.
MIAMI, FLORIDA - SEPTEMBER 19: Shohei Ohtani #17 of the Los Angeles Dodgers hits a two-run home run, his 50th of the season, becoming the first player with a 50/50 season in MLB history, during the seventh inning against the Miami Marlins at loanDepot park on September 19, 2024 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images)
Nearly dormant for the first two games, Ohtani showed up when it mattered most, as the Dodgers tried to regain momentum after getting smacked by the Mets in a game-tying Game 2 win for New York.
Shohei is not from this planet — here's a reminder of why he's the 700 million-dollar man.
WATCH:
If not for the video footage, we would have assumed the ball would continue to float in the air and not hit dirt until Thursday morning.
Without runners on base, Ohtani can seem human. But he turns it on when he's got guys on base. Ohtani cracked the game open for LA, driving in runners on first and second, now hitting 17-of-20 when a runner is on base. Kike Hernandez, still a postseason hero for the Dodgers, helped build a 4-0 lead in the sixth, and Ohtani picked up the slack with his moon shot to all but put the Mets away.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - OCTOBER 16: Blake Treinen #49 of the Los Angeles Dodgers reacts after striking out Francisco Lindor #12 of the New York Mets during the seventh inning in game three of the National League Championship Series at Citi Field on Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2024 in New York. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
A ton of hope was lost in LA after the Dodgers' bullpen game flopped on Monday, opening the gates for the Mets bats to put the Dodgers away, 7-3. LA managed to stave off elimination against the Padres in the divisional series when their collection of pitchers shut out San Diego.
LA's pitching made a glorious comeback on Wednesday. On-and-off Dodgers pitcher Walker Buehler held it down, pitching four innings of shut-out baseball and fanning six in the process.
For a well-rounded team like the Dodgers, all hands were on deck in Game 3 to regain momentum. Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy turned up the offense and chipped in on Wednesday's scoring onslaught with his own upper-decker.
The series resumes at Citi Field on Thursday for Game 4. The Dodgers are up 2-1.
NEW YORK, NY - OCTOBER 16: Max Muncy #13 of the Los Angeles Dodgers celebrates with Shohei Ohtani #17 after hitting a solo home run in the ninth inning during Game 3 of the NLCS presented by loanDepot between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the New York Mets at Citi Field on Wednesday, October 16, 2024 in New York, New York. (Photo by Daniel Shirey/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
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