Shohei Ohtani had three extra-base hits in the first five innings of Game 3 of the World Series on Monday night, including his seventh homer this postseason.
Ohtani led off Game 3 with a ground-rule double to right field. He followed with a solo homer to right in the third inning off Toronto starter Max Scherzer and added an RBI double in the fifth off reliever Mason Fluharty during the Dodgers’ tying rally.
Only one player in baseball history has had four extra-base hits in a World Series game, and it was 119 years ago: Frank Isbell had four doubles for the Chicago White Sox in Game 5 in 1906 against the Chicago Cubs.
Ohtani put on a spectacular show for the Los Angeles fans who definitely “need” him, posting his second three-hit game of the postseason in his first game back at Dodger Stadium since he hit three homers and struck out 10 Milwaukee Brewers in his sensational two-way effort during a clinching victory in the National League Championship Series 10 days ago.
Ohtani has five hits and four RBIs in the first three games of the World Series against Toronto, the city where fans chanted “We don’t need you!” at Ohtani while the Blue Jays won Game 1. Ohtani also homered late in that blowout loss.
Ohtani will make his first World Series start on the mound when he pitches for the Dodgers in Game 4 on Tuesday night.
Ohtani doubled on Scherzer’s second pitch of Game 3, although his teammates couldn’t bring him home.
The Dodgers’ designated hitter then drove himself in with his fifth homer in four games, putting a 389-foot drive into the stands down the right-field line. Ohtani’s seven homers in the postseason are one shy of Corey Seager’s eight in the 2020 playoffs — the most ever hit in a single postseason by a Dodgers player, and tied for the second-most in one postseason by any player.
Randy Arozarena set the major league record with 10 postseason homers in 2020 before Tampa Bay lost the World Series to Seager and the Dodgers.
Ohtani keyed the Dodgers’ tying rally Monday when he doubled to left-center in the fifth, muscling an inside sweeper from Fluharty into the gap for his first opposite-field hit since Sept. 20, a span of 77 at-bats.
The Blue Jays pulled Scherzer right before Ohtani came up and replaced him with Fluharty, who memorably struck out Ohtani with the bases loaded while escaping a big jam to secure a 5-4 win for Toronto at Dodger Stadium in August.
After his double, Ohtani scored the tying run on Freddie Freeman’s single.
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