Shohei Ohtani's historic day propels the Dodgers a playoff-spot clinch
Today at 08:53 PM
by Megan Garcia
Shohei Ohtani is headed to the postseason for the first time in his career.
The Dodgers clinched a playoff berth behind Ohtani's historic day at the plate in the 20–4 win over the Marlins in Miami. This is the 12th consecutive season the Dodgers will appear on the postseason stage.
"Obviously, I changed teams this year," Ohtani said. "My goal has always been to make it to the playoffs, and it's something that I really worked hard at. I'm really happy to have been able to make it. Now my goal is to perform well in playoff situations."
The offense has been on a roll since Sunday. They have scored 55 runs on 54 hits in their last five games, leading to a 4–1 record in that stretch. Ohtani was responsible for 10 of the RBI on Thursday.
The Marlins had no solution for the two-way superstar as he went 6-for-6with three home runs, two doubles, a single, two stolen bases and 17 total bases. He now has 51 home runs and 51 stolen bases. He became the first player in Major League history to hit at least 50 homers and steal at least 50 bases in the same season. He also broke the Dodgers' single-season home run record, which had been held by Shawn Green (49 homers) since 2001.
"Aiming for a home run — for me — is not the best way of hitting a home run," Ohtani said. "What I really focus on is having quality at-bats. Aside from the homers that I hit, I was able to put up really good at-bats throughout the game today."
Ohtani's 10 RBI are also a Dodger single-game record.
Andy Pages drove in three runs on Thursday. He worked a walk in the third inning with the bases loaded for Tommy Edman to score, and then he hit a two-run double in the seventh against reliever Vidal Bruján.
Edman drove in two runs with a single in the ninth, giving him 10 hits and 12 RBI in nine games.
Will Smith, Max Muncy, Gavin Lux and Chris Taylor each recorded an RBI, as well, to help the Dodgers clinch a playoff berth. It also set a season-high for runs scored in a single game.
"(Shohei) had a tremendous night at the plate. He accomplished 50/50," manager Dave Roberts said. "We clinched a postseason berth. Across the board, it was a great day."
Flaherty Gives a Quality Start
Jack Flaherty kept the Marlins to three earned runs in six innings in his second start of the road trip. This was Flaherty's fourth start with at least six innings pitched since joining the Dodgers at the trade deadline.
The right-hander was looking to redeem himself after his three-inning start in Atlanta on Sept. 14.
He retired the side in order in three of the six frames he spun. The Marlins attacked him at the plate in the fifth and sixth innings by recording four hits and two runs, but Flaherty forced them to leave three runners on base with a pair of strikeouts and groundouts.
Where They Stand
The Dodgers (91–62) extended their lead in the National League West to four games. The San Diego Padres (87–66) did not play on Thursday. The Dodgers will begin a three-game series against the Colorado Rockies (59–94) beginning on Friday at Dodger Stadium.
The Dodgers' magic number to clinch the division is six games.
Shohei Ohtani's historic day propels the Dodgers a playoff-spot clinch was originally published in Dodger Insider on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
