Steve Webb
Game 9, 4/3/2024: Dodgers 5, Giants 4
CHAVEZ RAVINE, CA — At long last! Dodger fans might have had to wait for it, but when it finally came, it was sweet! Talking about a Shohei Ohtani home run, of course. The superstar found the seats in his final at-bat of the homestand, going yard in a a tight game against the rival Giants and providing the margin of victory in the Dodgers’ 5-4 win on Wednesday night. With that blast, it feels like the Ohtani era of Dodger baseball is now officially underway.
For much of the game, it seemed like Ohtani’s late-night heroics wouldn’t be needed. Starter Tyler Glasnow was humming through the first five innings of the ballgame, only giving up a solo home run to Giant backstop Patrick Bailey while the Dodgers were able to scratch across a run in the bottom of the second, a pair in the third, and one more in the fourth on a Miggy Ro homer (his second of the year). With a 4-1 lead and a cruising starter, it looked like the Dodgers were on the way to an easy win.
Not so fast. In the top of the sixth, Glasnow seemed to run out of gas. Nearing a hundred pitches, Glasnow gave up a walk and a couple of rockets off the bats of Jorge Soler and Michael Conforto that resulted in two runs for los Gigantes and pulled the visitors to within a run at 4-3.
That set the stage for Ohtani’s blast in the seventh. Facing lefty Taylor Rogers (the other twin, not the submariner), Ohtani got ahead in the count 3-1 before Rogers went back to his sinker that he’d gotten a called strike on earlier in the count. However, unlike the previous pitch, which painted the black, this one got way too much of the plate. Ohtani clubbed the ball into the right center field pavillion, where a lucky fan was able to catch a memory that she’ll never forget. In post-game interviews, Ohtani gave credit to manager Dave Roberts, who had pulled him aside before the game and told him to just “be himself.” Which is always good advice to somebody who is as obviously awesome as Shohei.
With all the controversy that has swirled around the Dodgers’ new free agent, it is no wonder that Ohtani has been a bit slow to get out of the starting blocks this season. However, Dave Roberts has been impressed by how Shohei has been able to shut out the noise of the last few weeks. “You just never learn about a person until they go through some adversity, whether on the field, or in this case, off the field,” said Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. “I’ve learned that he’s unflappable. He really is. It might not be the production that we expect and we know is gonna happen. But in terms of his demeanor, the way he comes in every day, he does a good job of separating work from the other stuff.”
“Honestly, very relieved that I was able to hit my first homer,” Ohtani said through interpreter Will Ireton. “It’s been a while, and honestly my swing hasn’t been great. So, overall very relieved.”
The dinger gave the Dodgers a 5-3 lead, but that run of insurance came in very handy when Jorge Soler hit a mammoth home run of his own in the next inning off Daniel Hudson. Clinging to a 5-4 lead and staying away from Evan Phillips, Roberts had to call on former starter Dinelson Lamet to pitch the ninth, and even though he’d never even had a save opportunity before in his career, he came through with flying colors. The once-great Lamet struck out two in the ninth and got a groundout to first to end the game. It was a great, and thoroughly unexpected end to an awesome homestand.
With a sweep of the Giants and a 6-1 homestand under their belts, the Dodgers (7-2) head into the chilly Midwest for a couple of series that will be likely to make the “chilly” nights at Dodger Stadium last week pale in comparison. The first stop will be Friday in Chicago to take on the Cubs at Wrigley, and then a trip to Target Field in Minneapolis for the three-game set with the Minnesota Twins. Play will get under way on Friday afternoon when Bobby Miller (1-0, 0.00) faces off against veteran righty Kyle Hendricks, who got roughed up in his season debut last week against the Rangers. Game time on Friday will be 11:20 AM PDT. Here we go, Dodgers. Let’s take this show on the road!
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