Shohei's Walk Game and Will Smith's Clutch Blast
Shohei Ohtani stirred things up with 2 walks but the lineup just couldn't string it together — man, what a nerve-wracking game. But Will Smith came through in the end! We win 3-2!
Highlights
- Will Smith's go-ahead home run in the bottom of the 8th (down 1-2 → took the lead)
- Shohei Ohtani draws walks in back-to-back at-bats, completely neutralizing Rodriguez
- Shohei's 8th inning at-bat: battles all the way to a full count against a 99.5 mph fastball — pure grit
Bottom 1st — Shohei Gets On to Start Things Off, But Then...
Oh man, today's game was a straight-up roller coaster.
Bottom of the 1st, Shohei works a leadoff walk right off the bat. He was reading Rodriguez's sinker perfectly every single time. I literally leaned off the couch with my beer in hand going "We got this today!" But then the lineup couldn't follow through and I'm just sitting there like… ugh.
Bottom 3rd — Another Walk! Shohei Gets It
Then it happened again in the 3rd. Another walk! Rodriguez just could not throw strikes to Ohtani. Cutters, sinkers — everything was missing. I honestly think Shohei had him completely figured out. Two straight plate appearances drawing walks and getting on base — it's not flashy, but that stuff matters SO much. No highlights reel moment, but Shohei knows exactly what he's doing. The frustrating part? The guys behind him couldn't cash in and we let those chances slip away.
Gotta Swallow That 5th Inning Double Play
Bottom of the 5th. This is when Rodriguez finally decided to actually face Shohei. After dodging him twice, he comes right at him — and the exit velocity was 91 mph (about 146 km/h), so it wasn't a weak contact by any means, but it ended up as a double play. Launch angle was just too low, nothing you can do. I was yelling at the TV by myself — "Come on, next time, you'll get him back!" — (lol).
Bottom 8th — Hung Tough Against 99.5 mph, But...
Shohei's at-bat in the 8th was electric. He battled all the way to a full count against a 99.5 mph fastball. I was on my feet watching, thinking "If he goes yard here it's a movie moment!" — but he got punched out with another heater. The exit velocity was 104 km/h and he made solid contact, but a negative launch angle means a groundball, simple as that. Still — going 3-for-3 in reaching base today, Shohei was anything but bad. If anything, that pitcher was scared of him the whole game.
Will Smith Takes It to the House!
And then — THAT 8th inning. Down 1-2, Will Smith hits a HOME RUN! THAT'S WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT! I was screaming "LET'S GOOOO!!" The Diamondbacks had slowly built that lead with runs in the 1st and 3rd, but Freeman's double and then Will Smith's blast completely flipped it. This is exactly the kind of game this year's Dodgers team finds a way to win.
Final Thoughts
Shohei went 0-for-2 with 2 walks and 2 grounders today. On paper it looks quiet, but make no mistake — forcing that pitcher to walk him TWICE and creating traffic? That was all Shohei. The double play in the 5th and the groundout in the 8th sting, but the way he battled against that 99.5 mph heater is the real deal. I can't wait to see what he does next time up. 3-2, we got the W — that's all that matters today!