LOS ANGELES — 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 play meaningful games even 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 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.
“I do think that the postseason is going to be different from the World Baseball Classic, considering that we did have a week off,” Ohtani said. “So I’m doing the best I can to make sure that my first at-bat is really good.”
Ohtani is one of three superstars atop the Dodgers’ lineup. But with Freddie Freeman nursing a sprained right ankle and Mookie Betts finishing the regular season with three hits in 20 at-bats, the focus on Ohtani has only heightened. The Padres could have as many as three lefty relievers in their NLDS roster — Yuki Matsui, Wandy Peralta and, most notably, Tanner Scott — and will deploy them against Ohtani as often as possible. It sounds as if they’ll look to attack him.
