A heckler next to the Los Angeles Dodgers’ dugout spent his entire Sunday giving an earful to the visitors, including a non-stop barrage of digs and chirps at Shohei Ohtani for his hitless performance in a portentous weekend series against the San Diego Padres.
When Ohtani crushed his 45th homer and delivered the knockout blow in the ninth inning of the Dodgers’ 8-2 victory, the normally decorous three-time MVP detoured on his way back to the dugout to slap hands — and get the last word — with the chagrined Padres fan.
The Dodgers loved to see it, along with just about everything else that transpired in the final four innings of a win that evened the NL West race yet again with 31 games left.
“It was very out of character from Shohei, (but the heckler) was wearing him out the whole game,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “So it was good to see Shohei initiate a high-five from him. That was great. That was fun. It was good to see Shohei show his personality.”
Ohtani didn’t speak to reporters afterward, but he didn’t need a loudmouth fan to tell him that he was 0 for 10 with two walks in the series before his 409-foot homer off Yuki Matsui.
His fellow Dodgers had already delivered by then, with rookie Dalton Rushing’s tiebreaking three-run shot in the seventh inning sandwiched between clutch homers in back-to-back innings by Freddie Freeman.
“I think he was just kind of talking to Shohei the whole game, so I’m glad Shohei was able to give him a little something else to cheer about,” Freeman said with a grin.
Freeman and the rest of the Dodgers heard plenty of yapping from the stands during the weekend in the latest chapter of what might currently be the liveliest rivalry in the sport. The noise intensified as Los Angeles lost the first two games while managing just five combined hits — but the defending champs still managed to head home smiling and even with the Padres at 74-57.
When asked if the rivalry is the best in baseball, Rushing replied: “I think so. I think it’s pretty safe to say. You see the atmosphere we play in, whether it’s here or in LA. I think it’s pretty special. There’s something to it. There [are] A lot of superstars on the field, and fun to play in these games. ,
Both teams may find a reason for being optimistic after wrapping regular-season matches between two world series contenders, which have also been found in three of the last five posts, in which Dozers have won two of those matches.
Dozers have already won the season series with San Diego 9-4, giving them a tiebreaker if the clubs are still 31 games.
San Diego has still taken two of the two out of the weekend with a bullet with a club, which is already a bullpen that can be the best in large companies – the poor performance, despite Sundays,, of course, of course.
Jeremia Estrada left a homer in his second consecutive game, when Rushing was connected, while Vandi Paralta and Matsui also surrendered late homers.
But U Darwish, Nester Cortes and Nick Piwata allowed the doors to score only four hits and three runs in 18 innings. In a small series of October, Padress is confident that he has found weapons to match the powerful lineup of Ohtani, Freeman and Dojers.
“We can’t be thrilled more.” “We are playing outstanding baseball, so I still do not try to get trapped today. Today we were not disappointed. We can’t be thrilled. We are tied to our division lead and hope to win it.”
Division race means something for both teams – and not just because both of them would not like to play a dangerous wild card playoff series in early October.
Dozers have won 11 of the last 12 NL West titles, while Padress has not won the division since 2006. The San Diego team is closing on its fourth playoff berth in six sessions during the longest run of success in the team’s history.
While the rival would not meet again in the regular session, both teams admitted that they must be seeing what to do under the stretch.
“We are going to treat the next several games, until the regular season is over, as we do the neck-and-neck with them,” Rushing said. “Whether we are tied in the division or we are out eight games, we are going to treat it as it is similar, and I think it’s a good thing. You catch a competitive edge that finished the regular season, and that is what you take to Postsen.”
Reporting by Associated Press.
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