The Blue Jays don’t want to face Shohei Ohtani, but they have no choice in Game 4

Los Angeles – Even the rare air does not cover it. It does not bring him justice. There’s no telling what the universe saw of Shohei Ohtani on the greatest stage in one of the greatest markets. His presence is imposed. deliberate. Games lean towards his strength alone. Gravity is a force that humans cannot overcome. But Ohtani makes it seem optional.

Impossible to forget. Not when status continues to rise. Not when the stakes are high and the player does too. All of his at-bats in the thrilling and hilarious World Series Game 3 against the Blue Jays were a reminder of what his theater requires. Freddie Freeman launched a homer in the 18th inning. But that was Ohtani’s pitch in Monday’s 6-5 win at Dodger Stadium, a game that lasted 399 minutes and was the second-longest World Series game of all time.

“He’s the best player on the planet,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said.

Blue Jays manager John Schneider made a four-finger swipe from the first base dugout, after watching Ohtani do it again. And again.

He was 4 years old at that point. Two homers and two doubles. It was First player ever in postseason history to hit multiple home runs, multiple doubles, and multiple walks in a single game..

“Every game is different,” Schneider said. “Every pitcher is different. The guy is a great player. There are certain times when you feel better when someone else beats you. If that other guy is Mookie Betts or Freddie Freeman, it still hurts. But he had a great game and we’re just going to try to keep executing.”

The fluctuations became longer than everyone else’s. The feet became heavier. Relievers turned into starters and starters turned into afterthoughts. Each team was craving an error from the opposition and a push in equal measure for their club in a match that started just after 5pm local time and lasted almost until midnight.

Ohtani was the reason his team finished in first place, reaching base nine times, the most ever in a playoff game. In his 17th inning, the final of the night, Schneider visited the mound to chat with Brendon Little. “We were trying to get around it,” Schneider said.

They pitched him this time…and walked him on four pitches.

Ohtani led off the bottom of the first with a Max Scherzer double. ticket? Scherzer only pitched 4 innings. In the third, Ohtani got it again, running a fastball off the plate and pulling it to right for a solo shot.

Then in the seventh inning, he showed the full field, beating Ceranthony Dominguez, tying the game.

Every time the Blue Jays answer — as they always do — Ohtani makes sure his reaction will be louder. That’s when Schneider had enough.

“He was on the heels of a huge offensive night, and John smelled that and was not going to let Shohei hit him at all,” Roberts said. “Obviously, even when no one’s on base and he’s putting it down to make other guys beat him. Respect that, and fortunately, we have other guys behind Shohei who can still do some things, and yeah, I mean, tough game.”

A tough game made possible by Ohtani’s heroics. He has proven time and time again that he is not that type. This is not a game that can make others crumble. He rewrites his boundaries. Its limits.

His next mission? Ohtani will be the Dodgers’ starting pitcher in Game 4. He will throw the first shot 17 hours and 20 minutes after the end of the third game. He has a chance to push his team to a 3-1 lead, preserve a bullpen that desperately needs a break and put the Dodgers on the brink of becoming baseball’s first repeat champion in a quarter-century.

“It’s a unicorn,” Freeman said. “There are no more adjectives you can use to describe Shohei. It’s 4-for-4, five walks, he finally got thrown out in his last at-bat, and he still has the patience to not try to do too much and get on base. It’s unbelievable. We’ve been talking about him ever since he got [to MLB] In 2018. We’re still running out of words to describe a player who comes along once every ten generations.

Unicorns don’t exist. Ohtani does.

However, although Ohtani expands the impossible, Game 4 will bring its own tests. While running the bases in extra innings, Ohtani cramped up but remained in the game. That would be something worth seeing. How long do his legs last? How long can it go? The Dodgers need him to go deep after using everyone in their bullpen. Roberts even considered going to center fielder eventually until Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who had just pitched a complete game two days earlier, volunteered to come into the game. The Blue Jays will likely be without George Springer, who left the game with right side discomfort and underwent an MRI. But their DNA is still there. They don’t hit much. They will challenge Ohtani to deliver pitches. They will count his pitches, knowing the Dodgers are weak behind him.

But that’s what Otani wants. When people question how well he can handle, he moves on to other gear. When they question his ability to pitch and hit at this level, he rises above the noise and dominates. He can carry the team. country. The demands and pressures of a sport where the eyes of the world are fixed on his personality. Possibly.

His teammates don’t see the possibility. They are beyond that. Everything now is just confirmation of what they already know.

“He’s a freak,” said Will Klein, who pitched four scoreless frames. “I don’t know how anyone could do what he does. Being the best hitter and the best pitcher in the league. I don’t think there’s a word to describe it other than he’s the GOAT. He’ll pay on Tuesday.”