Game 3 of the World Series turned into an epic battle that stretched over 18 innings, lasted six hours and 39 minutes, and culminated in an agonizing victory for the Dodgers over the Blue Jays. The central figure in this tremendous duel was undoubtedly Shohei Ohtani, whose presence in Los Angeles’ lineup forced the opposing manager to make extreme decisions that ultimately cost him the defeat.
The game, settled by a timely swing from Freddie Freeman, went down in history as the second longest in Dodger Stadium history and left a very exciting series, but one that is still far from over, as the Blue Jays warn that they will go for everything.
Shohei Ohtani’s performance frustrates the Blue Jays
Ohtani’s performance was so dominant that Toronto’s pitchers opted for caution to the point of risk. The Japanese player reached base nine times in total, tying an all-time MLB record, in addition to hitting two home runs and two doubles, being the first player since 1906 to achieve four extra-base hits in a World Series game.
Blue Jays manager John Schneider had to justify the decision to repeatedly give him intentional walks, an approach that, while avoiding Ohtani, loaded the bases in extra innings. “We were trying to pitch to him cautiously… we trust our bullpen to execute,” Schneider explained.
“This group will be ready to play tomorrow. It sucks that it’s late, but these guys were in the right mindset the whole time
However, the manager acknowledged the difficulty of the situation: “It’s hard to do when you’re trying to throw a ball and it doesn’t go where you want it to go.” Finally, he summed up the strategy as an acknowledgment of the opponent’s power: “After that, you just take the bat out of his hands.”
Blue Jays refuse to give up
Despite the defeat, which Dodgers manager Dave Roberts called “one of the greatest games of all time”, morale in the Toronto dressing room remained high. Schneider dismissed suggestions of fatigue and vowed his team will come out firing for Game 4, where, ironically, Ohtani’s magic will now be on display on the mound.
“No, not at all,” Schneider replied about the fatigue. “This group will be ready to play tomorrow. It sucks that it’s late, but these guys were in the right mindset the whole time… The Dodgers didn’t win the World Series today, they just won a game. And these guys are more than ready to go out there”.
The truth is that the Dodgers and Ohtani shone in the last game, but the Blue Jays remain motivated and will not give up until there are really no options, so there is no doubt that the next game will be just as intense.
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