Another Sho-stealing performance has the Dodgers on the cusp of the division title.

Another Sho-stealing performance has the Dodgers: Since moving to the USA in 2018, Ohtani has shown his absolute desire to take part in playoff baseball, and at a more personal level, win a championship.

In about a week, that opportunity is very likely going to present itself for Ohtani. He is aware that he will be in the spotlight. However, before that eventually occurs, Ohtani has been able to participate in a playoff-like atmosphere during the important three-game series against the Padres.

Ohtani has taken the bull by its horns. The two-way Japanese studied nothing and in return, earned two crucial hits, took his 56th base and these led the Dodgers to a 4-3 win against the Padres at Dodger Stadium, putting L.A. within reach of winning its 11th National League West title in 12 seasons.

A victory in Thursday’s scheduled series finale will give the Dodgers the division title. After the Brewers lost on Wednesday, the Dodgers have already gotten a top-two seed and a first-round bye if they can win the NL West.

Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy agrees with the assessment of Ohtani and exclaims, “He is the greatest player in baseball.” Max added, “You don’t think he will ever get out. Every single at-bat that happens, it’s almost like, you’re ready for something extraordinary to unfold, and he usually does not disappoint.”

After the frustration of Tuesday’s match and with the division on the line, the Dodgers stepped into Wednesday’s contest looking to answer the call. Before the game began, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts expressed his belief that Cease who is a right-hand pitcher for the Padres would have to deal with the fact that Los Angeles would give him a hard time.

The Dodgers did just that, led by their strongest fighter.

Leading the charge was their best slugger, and that is what the Dodgers did. Tied at 2 in the fourth inning, Ohtani grabbed a Cease slider and whacked it into the right field foul pole wall, projected by Statcast at 116.8 mph. This enabled Gavin Lux, who recorded a single in the same inning that brought the score to 2-2, to score the game-tying run. As Ohtani reached the second base, he peeped into the home dugout and shouted, “Let’s go!”

“I’m just really happy I was able to score the runs and the opportunities that I have been given almost every single at-bat today,” Ohtani said through the interpreter Will Ireton. “Before the fans and even within the team, I do feel there is some sort of elevation towards playing these meaningful games.”

Ohtani surely was not finished at that point. It was a tied-ball game again after Fernando Tatis Jr. hit one out for the Potters in the sixth. The Dodgers had to again answer back. And once again it was Ohtani with the big hit that time, a two-out game-winning run single off lefty Adrian Morejon to give the Dodgers a lead they will not relinquish. He then stole second base, thus tying him with Ichiro Suzuki for the most stolen bases in one season by any Japanese player.

“Roberts said, ‘He has improved his level of play’ […] The epitome of it is that Morejon is at bat. He gets behind 0 – 2, takes a couple of breaking balls, and in a clutch situation drives the ball up the middle to bring in a run. You see the emotion that you never see and you’ve seen that over the last week. He’s smelling the postseason and getting how vital these games are.”

Another Sho-stealing performance has the Dodgers

This season, Ohtani has, perhaps, been the most valuable of all players, as evidenced by his chasing a third Most Valuable Player Award. He has, however, stepped it up a notch at the final stages of the series. After a 2-for-3 night, Ohtani is batting .477 in his last 11 games (21-for-44), with 6 homers 21 RBIs, and 8 stolen bases.

If that’s the level of contribution the Dodgers can get from their best player in his inaugural experience of the postseason calendar, they are bound to go all the way to the end of October.

“I think that is important for us,” Muncy said when asked how Ohtani has shown emotion ever since coming to the Angels. “We have several players here who have played in many playoffs, and we understand what it involves however, when you have youngsters who have not experienced such situations, watching such feelings emerge from them tends to motivate you. You see that, and you get excited.”

Equally, the significance of the moment was not missed by the rest of the Dodgers on Wednesday night. Following Jack Flaherty’s five innings of allowing three runs, Roberts was quicker to use his best relief pitchers. Alex Vesia, Evan Phillips, Blake Treinen, and Michael Kopech then pitched four scoreless innings against one of the hottest batting lineups in baseball.

This was a game that afforded the Dodgers a glimpse into how winning something in October could feel. However, for now, the race for the NL West is on as of Thursday.