LOS ANGELES — Amid Dodgers despair, Shohei Ohtani provided a sliver of hope.
Maybe more.
It was the bottom of the eighth inning on Wednesday, Oct. 14, with the Dodgers on their way to a 6-2 loss against the Milwaukee Brewers in Game 3 of the National League championship series, when Ohtani stepped to the plate.
Two out. No one on.
Ohtani, stuck in a horrendous hitting slump, jumped on the first pitch, a 96-mph sinker from Brewers reliever DL Hall. The Dodgers superstar laced it right back up the middle for a single to center.
Hall nearly got hit as the ball rocketed off Ohtani’s bat with a reported exit velocity of 113.5 mph. It was the top exit velocity of the game, according to Baseball Savant, and considered elite-level velocity.
Of course it did
nothing to slow the Brewers, who took a 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven NLCS. But it looked like signature Shohei, unfurling a quick, powerful swing.
In MLB history, the 2004 Boston Red Sox became the only team to rally from a 3-0 deficit. It’s hard to imagine Ohtani leading the Dodgers to such an unthinkable comeback. He still hasn’t homered since Aug. 18 while dealing with an assortment of injuries.
But then there were the Dodgers fans posting video of Ohtani’s eighth-inning single from Game 3.
"Perfect," wrote one commenter. "Too early to give up."
Ohtani and the Dodgers will try to stave off elimination Thursday, Oct. 15, with Game 4 set to start at Dodger Stadium at 8 p.m. ET.
Shohei Ohtani's woes
The Dodgers broached the possibility of taking Ohtani out of the lineup for Game 3 before he convinced them otherwise. Other than the eighth-inning single, there was no extraordinary evidence that he is on the verge of going on a tear – or producing his first extra-base hit in 11 games. The last one was a double Sept. 24 against the San Francisco Giants.
In the postseason, he is batting .182 (4 for 22) with seven strikeouts.
But then, amid a demoralizing loss in Game 3 of the NCLS, Ohtani provided a jolt.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Shohei Ohtani provides Dodgers with a sliver of hope. Here's why.
