The Los Angeles Dodgers held off the New York Mets to win the National League Pennant and will compete for a championship against the New York Yankees. After seven seasons in the majors, superstar DH Shohei Ohtani will make his first World Series appearance. And Ohtani has been enjoying every moment of the buildup.
Ohtani could be seen in a behind-the-scenes photoshoot at World Series Media Day posing in his uniform and holding a bat as fall-colored leaves were tossed in the frame, per MLB’s official account on X. The presumptive 2024 NL MVP even picked up a handful of colorful leaves and tossed them over his head for a fun shot.
The Dodgers signed Ohtani to a mind-wobbling 10-year, $700 million deal in free agency prior to the start of the 2024 season. He had spent his entire career with LA’s other baseball team, the Angels. Despite winning two AL MVP awards with the organization, Ohtani had never even made the postseason prior to this year.
The Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani is enjoying his first-ever MLB postseason
And what a magical year it was for the two-way phenom. While Ohtani was unable to pitch this season as he recovered from Tommy John surgery, he more than made up for it at the plate. The four-time All-Star reached the 40/40 club, an exclusive group of players who’ve hit 40 or more home runs while stealing 40 or more bases in the same season.
However, he didn’t stop there, as Ohtani created the 50/50 club this season, becoming the first player ever with 50 homers and 50 steals in a season. Incredibly, the home run ball Ohtani hit to reach 50/50 sold for a staggering $4.39 million.
Dodgers fans fully embraced Ohtani in his debut season with the team. LA hosted two different Shohei bobblehead giveaway nights and fans came out in droves. The second giveaway featured Ohtani and his dog Decoy, who even threw out the first pitch on his bobblehead night.
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Now the Dodgers will take on the Yankees in a World Series featuring baseball’s two best players. Although, prior to the series, Judge acknowledged that Ohtani was the game’s best player.
While LA has a deep lineup, the team’s starting pitching is questionable coming into the series. The Dodgers will start Jack Flaherty in Game 1 of the World Series and the team hopes to have two important bullpen additions added to the roster.
The lead up has been fun but the festivities begin in earnest on Friday evening in Los Angeles. You can bet Ohtani will be trying to leave his mark on the competition, even if it’s only on offense.