In order that was nearly pretty much as good of a baseball recreation as you’re going to see. It definitely was about as lengthy of a baseball recreation as you’re going to see.
World Sequence Sport 3 took six hours and 39 minutes, lasted 18 innings and required 19 pitchers. It featured two Shohei Ohtani homers, 4 Ohtani extra-base hits and 5 Ohtani walks (4 of them intentional). There have been a whopping 37 runners left on base, a seemingly countless collection of gamers thrown out on the bases, one Clayton Kershaw clutch out that would have doubled as a farewell, but ANOTHER Freddie Freeman walk-off homer within the World Sequence, and presumably, a partridge in a pear tree.
The Dodgers received Sport 3 of the World Sequence, however the best way that recreation went … it felt like they received extra. However we will see. We do, in any case, need to play once more immediately, after a recreation that stretched into immediately on the East Coast and really practically did on the West Coast, too. It’ll occur whether or not any of us are prepared for it or not.
All through this postseason, I’ll be previewing the subsequent day’s motion, recreation by recreation. Listed below are three storylines for immediately’s World Sequence Sport 4.
Shohei is pitching! (And hitting)
What do you do as an encore after taking part in maybe the best particular person baseball recreation within the historical past of the game, one which despatched your staff to the World Sequence? Properly, when you’re Ohtani, you simply preserve making historical past. In Sport 3, that meant setting postseason data for reaching base safely (9 instances) and intentional walks, with the Blue Jays deciding they needed completely no a part of going through him in a high-leverage scenario. (Additionally, don’t you like after I mentioned “taking part in maybe the best particular person recreation within the historical past of the game,” you have been perhaps not instantly positive which recreation I used to be referring to?)
And now he will get to take the mound! I really feel obliged to level out {that a} beginning pitcher additionally hitting in a World Sequence recreation occurred for practically 120 years earlier than the common DH arrived, so it’s not that bizarre, however all the pieces Ohtani does at this level feels unprecedented anyway. However the spectacle of what Ohtani will do tonight shouldn’t overshadow how necessary it’s for him to be nice each on the mound and because the leadoff man.
The Dodgers had to make use of a bunch of bullpen arms on Monday evening — each single one they’ve, in truth — they usually’ve received Sport 5 looming on Wednesday. Meaning they want Ohtani not simply to be good, they want some innings out of him. He has thrown six innings in every of his final three appearances, together with two within the postseason, they usually positive might use that once more. And likewise a homer or two: They might use that, too. (If the Blue Jays ever pitch to him once more, anyway.) Level is: What Ohtani does is so magical that it doesn’t fairly really feel actual typically. However there’s nothing extra actual than the World Sequence. That is what all that magic is for.
Critically: Who’s left to pitch this recreation?
As my MLB.com colleague Mike Petriello has identified, neither certainly one of these bullpens was in significantly good condition heading into Monday evening, and that was earlier than they needed to throw a mixed 26 innings throughout a particularly exhausting Sport 3. The Dodgers used 9 relievers, and the Blue Jays used eight. And now they need to play once more immediately … and once more tomorrow.
We’ve already mentioned how the Dodgers are unlikely to push Ohtani too deep into Sport 4. In the meantime, Bieber didn’t make his MLB debut this yr till Aug. 22 and hasn’t thrown greater than six innings since July 2023. In different phrases, both these starters are going to get stretched past their consolation zones, or we’re going to see numerous innings from two depleted bullpens. Or maybe each.
That is significantly pressing as a result of one of the best pitchers out of the bullpen for each groups, Roki Sasaki for the Dodgers and Jeff Hoffman for the Blue Jays, pitched a number of innings. The truth is, a mixed 9 relievers recorded greater than three outs in Sport 3. We higher carry again the bullpen carts over the subsequent couple days, or else any individual’s going to have to hold these guys on the market. You want offense? You’re about to see numerous it.
Will we see George Springer once more on this collection?
George Springer was an October legend, clearly, earlier than this postseason run with the Blue Jays. Successful a World Sequence MVP Award will do this for you. (Reaching the playoffs in seven totally different seasons, and being wonderful in nearly all of them, will do this, too. As will sending your staff to the World Sequence with a three-run homer in Sport 7 of the ALCS.)
He additionally might have been the Jays’ finest hitter this season, bouncing again after the worst season of his profession. Dodgers followers, nonetheless sore about 2017, could also be booing him, but it surely’s troublesome for the remainder of us to not cheer for him. However it’s important to surprise if we’ve seen the final of him for 2025.
He was already coping with a knee damage, however when he grabbed at his proper aspect after fouling a ball off within the seventh inning — and was instantly pulled — what John Smoltz mentioned on the FOX broadcast on the time positive sounded proper: It regarded just like the form of damage that can take an extended time to heal than the Jays might have left on this collection. After the sport, supervisor John Schneider mentioned Springer has “proper aspect discomfort” and underwent an MRI, with outcomes pending.
