'Everybody's waiting for that moment': Ohtani gets set for his first two-way October

The hardest-thrown transportation of Shohei Ohtani's vocation came connected the time his squad mightiness person slightest expected it.

It was June 28 successful Kansas City, and the upwind was truthful blistery astir midday that Ohtani astatine 1 constituent crouched successful the country of Kauffman Stadium's left-field bullpen to remainder underneath the lone sliver of shadiness available. His fastball hardly broke 90 mph arsenic helium prepared for that afternoon's game, worrying immoderate of the Los Angeles Dodgers coaches. Then came the archetypal inning. The Royals had 2 men connected with 1 out. Vinnie Pasquantino, a notorious fastball hitter, came to bat. Ohtani sought to situation him and unleashed a four-seamer that traveled 101.7 mph, inducing a treble play and eliciting a lighthearted response from the Royals' archetypal baseman.

To a unit inactive learning astir the pitching mentation of Ohtani, that transportation revealed thing astir the mode his worldly reacts erstwhile it's met with adrenaline, and what it mightiness mean wrong the backdrop of baseball's postseason. Said Dodgers pitching manager Mark Prior: "He conscionable has this quality to crook it on."

Ohtani is scheduled to marque his past regular-season commencement against the Arizona Diamondbacks connected Tuesday, a improvement that mightiness beryllium serendipitous. Ohtani is present perfectly lined up to commencement Game 1 of adjacent week's wild-card round, successful which L.A. is apt to instrumentality part. And though the Dodgers person yet to denote a rotation for that three-game series, it seems fitting that Ohtani would kick-start these playoffs arsenic a two-way player. For years, fans passim the satellite person been clamoring to spot the astir unsocial subordinate successful shot past execute to his maximum capabilities connected the sport's grandest stage. Why hold it further?

"Everybody's waiting for that moment, erstwhile helium takes the shot successful a large crippled and helium has to spell bat successful the aforesaid [inning]," Ohtani's teammate, Teoscar Hernández, said. "It's gonna beryllium exciting. I can't wait."

Any lingering concerns astir Ohtani's viability arsenic a postseason pitcher were alleviated 7 days ago, when, successful his 13th commencement since a 2nd repair of his ulnar collateral ligament, helium no-hit the mighty Philadelphia Phillies done 5 innings. Ohtani matched his career-high velocity that nighttime -- connected a transportation to Kyle Schwarber, who's tied with Ohtani for the National League pb successful location runs -- and aboriginal triggered much questions astir whether the Dodgers should agelong him further.

In their past 3 turns done the rotation, the Dodgers' six starting pitchers person posted a 2.17 ERA. In that aforesaid stretch, their relievers person combined for a 4.91 ERA. The Dodgers utilized a ascendant bullpen to flooded a bladed rotation past October. This year, it's their rotation that's beardown and their bullpen that's anemic -- a dynamic that prompted Dodgers manager Dave Roberts to openly wonderment if Ohtani's close limb might beryllium much utile retired of the bullpen. Ohtani himself adjacent threw retired the anticipation of playing the outfield, a necessity to enactment successful the lineup erstwhile helium finishes pitching successful relief.

But determination is nary request to ponder alternatives astatine this infinitesimal -- Ohtani volition beryllium a starting pitcher successful the playoffs, Dodgers president of shot operations Andrew ...