PHILADELPHIA — Game 1 belonged to the bullpen and the offense by the end, but it started with Shohei Ohtani carrying the Dodgers through six tense innings. He bent in one frame when a bad play in the outfield turned into trouble. He did not break. The bats came late. The Dodgers won 5–3.
Ohtani admitted the buildup felt different. “Before the game, when I was going through the reports and organizing the data, I felt the nerves,” he said. “Once the game started, I was locked in. There was still some tension, but the focus was stronger, and I could get into the game the way I wanted.”
He described his pregame work as calm, even enjoyable. “Game preparation was good,” Ohtani said. “The bullpen session before first pitch was one of my best this season. I went in with good concentration and tried to enjoy the environment.”
The second inning turned messy, then the fifth became the hinge. “That spot in the fifth felt like it could decide the game,” he said. “After giving up the first runs, I believed if I held it there our lineup would punch back. With two strikes to Schwarber I already had curveball as my top option, and Ben [Rortvedt] put down curve first pitch. I threw it with confidence and got the strikeout.”
He also talked through the early loud contact on four-seamers. “I was more frustrated with the single up the middle after getting two strikes the at-bat before the triple,” Ohtani said. “I wanted to save the splitter for the second time through, but I still needed to finish hitters. That’s where I could have been more creative. Overall I stayed with the power approach, and after that I kept the mix where I wanted it.”
At the plate, it was a grind. Ohtani struck out four times against a line of lefties and premium velocity. He placed the credit on the other side. “They had high-quality arms on the mound every at-bat,” he said. “There were not many chances to put a good swing on the ball. Even so, batting first against a left-handed starter is part of the plan for our offense. Being in that spot sets up Mookie and Teoscar behind me. The best outcome is a hit, but the first job is to take that matchup and do what I can.”
His eighth-inning plate appearance included a small, quiet piece of game craft. “By the time Will’s at-bat came up, Roki was getting loose,” Ohtani said. “Skip asked me to buy time. I was trying to do that. In the end we got a good walk, and that served the same purpose. It was the right outcome there.”
He even addressed the moment caught on television from the bullpen walkway. “I was just enjoying the whole night,” he said. “I raised my hand to the guys and to the crowd. It was fun. You do not get many chances to feel this kind of stage.”
Asked again about how the nerves felt in the first postseason start of his pitching career with the Dodgers, Ohtani came back to the same theme. “There is always some nervous energy,” he said. “But the concentration was stronger. That is what mattered. I could keep the routine, control the game, and keep us close.”
He was clear about what he tried to take off the table after the damage inning. “I told myself not to give up the next one,” he said. “If we stayed within reach our hitters would bring us back. That is why the curve to Schwarber was important. It was the pitch I trusted the most in that count, so I committed to it.”
Ohtani also explained why he kept pressing the power fastball even after three early balls were barreled. “I wanted the splitter later,” he said. “But I still felt good about the four-seam. The key was executing up and in and then down and away. When I missed, they got the swing. When I located, it played like it should.”
Asked about his aggressiveness on the bases in these games, he smiled. “I keep running because I believe I can do it,” he said. “That is part of my identity and a strength. If it helps the team, that is the role only I can fill, and that is the job.”
The last word turned back to the feel of October. “It was a great moment,” Ohtani said. “This is the fun of the postseason. You stay patient, make the pitch when it matters, and trust the lineup to bring you back.”
Six innings. Only three earned runs. The textbook definition of a quality start. The rest of the night belonged to the offense, who managed to come back in the hostile Philly environment. Ohtani kept it within reach and bought the dugout time to pounce. “Hold it there and the chance will come,” he said. “That is what I believed. And it did.”
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