Dodgers book a ticket to the All-Time Fall Classic

By MIKEY HIRANO CULROSS, Rafu Sports Editor

At his introductory press conference last December, Shohei Ohtani said that one factor in particular drove his decision to join the Dodgers.

“I knew they only cared about winning and that’s exactly how I feel. That’s one of the things that stood out,” Ohtani said.

Sure, the money was important – and there will be a lot of it. It was probably a plus that he didn’t have to move his home, his new wife, and his ever-popular puppy, Dekopin.

No, the best player in the world wanted to win more than anything, and the Dodgers seemed to offer the best opportunity to do so. They had won the National League West title ten times in eleven seasons, and Dave Roberts had taken LA to the World Series three times and won once in his eight years as manager.

After sleeping in Anaheim with the Angels for six years and never seeing the postseason, free agent Ohtani was looking for a contender, and on Sunday night his faith was rewarded.

The Dodgers’ high-octane offense was once again in full swing in Game 6 of the National League Championship Series, and when the final out was recorded with a ball into the glove of Max Muncy at first base, their ticket to the World Series was punched once again.

They defeated the New York Mets 10-5 and won the best-of-seven series four games to two. With the pennant victory, the Dodgers both dashed New York’s hopes of a “Subway Series” and also prepared the most classic of all Fall-Classic duels.

On Friday, the Dodgers will host the Yankees at Chavez Ravine for their first World Series meeting since 1981, which LA’s “Fernandomania” team won in six games

The two teams have faced each other more times than any other pair in World Series history – a total of 11 times before this year.

For Ohtani, the importance of winning a championship was clear from the moment he put on Dodger blue. In addition to the high expectations of the local fans, he carries the hopes of an entire nation. It is estimated that the decisive game of the NL Division Series against the San Diego Padres was watched by more than 10 percent of the entire Japanese population.

“I really feel like we’ve finally arrived, I’ve finally arrived at this stage,” Ohtani said after Sunday’s win. “A lot of the games we played were really tough and hard to win. And it really was a team effort to get here.”

Ohtani was 2 of 4 in the NLCS finals with an RBI and two runs scored.

“There are no easy games in the postseason. We played really well as a team and I’m glad we were able to prevail,” said Ohtani. “(The World Series) is a place I’ve dreamed of my whole life.

“The goal was to get this far. I imagined how I could get this far with the contract I signed. And again, it was really hard to be able to play on a stage like that with the team performance and all the games were really tough. But I’m just happy we’re at this stage now.”

This is also a turning point for Asian Americans in baseball. Not only do the Dodgers have players of Asian descent on their roster, they are also led by players and staff members who are at the top of the list. In addition to Ohtani, pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto has gotten off to bright starts for the team, and Roberts is an Okinawa-born Nikkei.

The Most Valuable Player trophy, perhaps front and center of the NLCS, was presented to utility switch-hitter Tommy Edman, who is of Korean descent.

Edman drove in four runs with a home run and a double in Game 6. His 11 RBI in the series tied a club record set by Corey Seager in 2020.

“I’ve dreamed of this since I was a little kid,” Edman said amid the chaos of Sunday’s Dodger clubhouse celebration. When asked to sum up World Series participation in one word, he didn’t hesitate.

“Fantastic.”

A short time later, Edman was in the interview room trying to summarize his feelings about the MVP award, his happiness at being traded to the Dodgers in the middle of the season and the trip to the Fall Classic.

“I’m just looking forward to playing these big games. “We’re happy about this series win tonight,” he said. “In the next week or so we will start preparing against the Yankees. But it’s definitely a dream come true.”

Arriving in LA also brought him closer to home.

“Moving to the West Coast is actually a move home because I’m from San Diego,” he explained. “It definitely made it a little easier for my wife and son to be closer to their family.

“And the other part too is that the organization did a great job of welcoming me and making sure that I kind of had everything I needed because I was injured when I got subbed off. So I just made sure I got all the rehab stuff done that I needed. And I was really diligent about the work I had to do to get myself ready to play again every day.

“Then the staff and also my teammates deserve a lot of credit for welcoming me from day one and making me feel like I was part of the team.”

After all the interviews and champagne fizzing, Edman took some time for priceless moments on the field with his wife Kristen and their young son. She is the daughter of Toshi and Terry Shiotani.

Edman didn’t win a game that season until August, leading Roberts to wonder about his journey from inactive to NLCS MVP.

“I never thought he would finish fourth in a postseason game after taking over,” he said. “But I trust him. The boys trust him. He made great defensive plays for us and scored big goals. It’s just really lucky to have a player like Tommy.”

Roberts demonstrated his managerial talents brilliantly in the second half of the regular season and into the playoffs, paving his way to team victories despite a pitching roster that suffered numerous injuries and barely resembled the Opening Day roster.

Sunday’s win was a so-called bullpen game, and Roberts brought in Michael Kopeck – who largely served as a late reliever or closer – to start the deciding game. One of the Fox TV show’s announcers called Roberts’ efforts a “masterclass” in pitcher management.

Roberts later said that it was crucial to tune out external noise and criticism of previous playoff decisions.

“First of all, I don’t do social media. This is a start for me,” he said. “Secondly, I just think that I have to … make decisions, bet on players that I think are capable, put them in the best position to succeed and be prepared to live with any consequences.”

“Tonight in this series, in this postseason, I had a lot of clarity. And the players made me look really good.”

Games 1 and 2 of the 2024 World Series take place this Friday and Saturday at Dodger Stadium. As of Monday afternoon, tickets were selling for over $1,000 on the secondary market. The series then moves to New York for three games.

If necessary, Games 6 and 7 will again be played at Dodger Stadium.

— Additional information from Kyodo News

Photos by MIKEY HIRANO CULROSS/Rafu Shimpo