Shohei Ohtani is up first in the NLDS.
Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts confirmed that Ohtani will be the starting pitcher in Game 1 of the NLDS on Saturday against the Philadelphia Phillies. The announcement came shortly after the Dodgers closed out the Cincinnati Reds 8-4 in Game 2 of their wild-card series Wednesday night, which sent the Dodgers into the divisional round of the playoffs for a 13th straight season.
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Once Ohtani takes the mound at Citizens Bank Park on Saturday, he’ll make Major League Baseball history by becoming the first player to start at least one game as a pitcher and one as a non-pitcher in a single postseason, according to MLB.com’s Sarah Langs.
It will also mark Ohtani’s MLB postseason pitching debut. He did not pitch last season with the Dodgers while recovering from elbow surgery, and Ohtani did not make the postseason in his six seasons with the Los Angeles Angels.
The Dodgers did not need Ohtani on the mound in their first two games this postseason. Yoshinobu Yamamoto had nine strikeouts and zero earned runs in 6 2/3 innings in his start Wednesday. Blake Snell pitched seven strong innings in their 10-5 win over the Reds in Game 1 on Tuesday.
Ohtani has slowly ramped up pitching this season after a second surgery following the team’s World Series win last year. He made his debut against the San Diego Padres on June 16, pitching one inning that night. He has gradually increased his time on the mound, and he pitched six full innings in the team’s 5-4 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks on Sept. 23. He hasn’t pitched since.
Ohtani currently holds a 2.87 ERA with 62 strikeouts in 47 innings this season. As a hitter, he’s been almost dominant as he was last season, when he won NL MVP honors. Ohtani recorded a career-high 55 home runs and 102 RBI this season while recording a slash line of .282/.392/.622. He’s the frontrunner to win a second straight MVP.
The Phillies went 96-66 this season and won the NL East and league’s No. 2 seed. They trailed only the Milwaukee Brewers in the NL, which gave them a bye out of the wild-card round. The Dodgers are the first wild-card team to clinch a divisional series spot this season. There will be three Game 3s on Thursday across the league to wrap up the opening round before the next round starts Saturday.
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