It really didn't look too hard for Shohei Ohtani on Saturday night, who went 2-for-5 with three runs batted in in the first game of the postseason for the Los Angeles Dodgers and the first-ever MLB postseason game for Ohtani. The Dodgers won 7-5 on their home field.
Ohtani, of course, has not played for a team that has qualified for the postseason to this point, despite winning two MVP awards with the Los Angeles Angels in 2021 and 2023.
After the game, Ohtani shared what he views as the, "most difficult," part of a first postseason game while speaking about his fellow teammate's troubles.
"The stadium was electric, and I was just really able to enjoy the game today."
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Shohei Ohtani joined @Ken_Rosenthal to talk about his first career postseason game, his 3-run home run & more. pic.twitter.com/XsPsZCTlmT
Asked about Yoshinobu Yamamoto's struggles on the mound, Ohtani explained, "It's really hard to play loose in the first game of a playoff series," through an interpreter after the Dodgers win. "I'm sure Yoshinobu wasn't satisfied with his outing today."
In addition to it being the first game of the series, the Dodgers were coming off of five days of rest since they clinched a first-round bye in the National League.
While it's the first MLB playoff game for Ohtani, he did play deep in the postseason during his time in the Nippon Professional Baseball league.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Shohei Ohtani Shares What's Difficult About Playoff Baseball After Debut Playoff Game.