Shohei Ohtani, who will make his highly anticipated playoff debut Saturday, said the excitement of the postseason is « greater than anything else that I could possibly feel. »
Shohei Ohtani was asked if he felt nervous going into his first postseason game and had an answer before an interpreter could even relay the question.
« Nope », he said in English.
Ohtani will make his highly anticipated playoff debut on Saturday, when his Los Angeles Dodgers host the division rival San Diego Padres in the National League Division Series. Ohtani, speaking through an interpreter, said, « It’s always been my childhood dream to be able to be in an important game. »
« So I think the excitement of that is greater than anything else that I could possibly feel », he added.
For six years, Ohtani languished on Los Angeles Angels teams that didn’t even play meaningful games in September. The excitement of being in high-pressure environments as a Dodger has seemed to positively impact his performance. On the night the Dodgers clinched a playoff spot, Ohtani went 6-for-6 with three home runs, 10 RBIs and two stolen bases, becoming the first ever member of the 50/50 club. He did it in his 866th major league game, at that point the most among active players who had not appeared in the postseason.
