Before Shohei Ohtani took the mound for his first World Series start, his teammates offered a reminder that he’s human after all.
The Dodgers superstar has earned a reputation within the clubhouse for being an “epic sleeper,” ESPN’s Buster Olney reported ahead of the 6-2 loss to the Blue Jays in Game 4 on Tuesday.
“Shohei Ohtani is known among teammates as an epic sleeper — someone who regularly banks 12 hours,” Olney posted to X before Toronto even the series at 2-2.
“All the Jays and Dodgers needed it after Game 3.”
Ohtani, 31, needed all the rest he could get before his Fall Classic pitching debut, especially after working a double-shift the night prior — a record-tying, 18-inning marathon in which he was at the center of the action.
The Japanese phenom went 4-for-4 with two home runs, three RBIs and five walks in the team’s 6-5 Game 3 win at Dodger Stadium, which Freddie Freeman capped with a walk-off home run.
Ohtani got intentionally walked four times, setting a new postseason record, and reached base nine times — tying an MLB high and obliterating the postseason mark of six.
It was 11:50 p.m. PT when the game finally ended — far later than Ohtani’s typical bedtime.
After the game, the two-way superstar was asked by Tom Verducci how he was feeling ahead of his first World Series start, scheduled for just 17 hours later.
Ohtani had one thing on his mind.
“I want to go to sleep as soon as possible so I can get ready,” Ohtani said through an interpreter.
Ohtani ultimately failed to match the brilliance from his previous start, surrendering four runs over six-plus innings with six strikeouts as the Blue Jays evened the series at 2-2 with a 6-2 win.
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He allowed a two-run shot to Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in the third, then surrendered two more during Toronto’s four-run seventh inning.
Ohtani struggled to compensate at the plate, going 0-for-3 with a pair of strikeouts.
The Japanese phenom didn’t make excuses after the game, emphasizing through an interpreter that he took the mound in “pretty good condition” after a night of “quality sleep.”
Despite the loss, Ohtani affirmed that enduring the hectic stretch will only make him and his team stronger moving forward.
“Although we did lose the game,” Ohtani said, “I thought I had a productive experience being able to experience this situation.”
The Dodgers host the Blue Jays for Game 5 on Wednesday before the World Series turns back to Toronto.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
