The Los Angeles Dodgers‘ 18-inning marathon against the Toronto Blue Jays was a night that once again spotlighted Shohei Ohtani‘s extraordinary endurance.
After helping lift the Dodgers to a 2-1 series lead in a game that lasted six hours and 39 minutes, Ohtani will now return to the mound for Game 4.
Manager Dave Roberts confirmed the news himself, joining FOX Sports analysts Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, and David Ortiz after the game. When asked whether Ohtani would be available the next day, Roberts didn’t hesitate.
“Shohei’s good to go,” he said. “Cramps and all, but he’s going. He’s pitching.”
For Ohtani, fatigue doesn’t seem to exist. His Game 3 performance was one for the record books. He crushed a home run in his first at-bat, added another in the third inning, ripped a run-scoring double off the center-field wall in the fifth, and tied the game in the seventh with yet another long ball.
The Blue Jays stopped pitching to him altogether after that, issuing intentional walks in the eighth, eleventh, and fifteenth innings before walking him again on four pitches in the seventeenth.
Ohtani shatters World Series records in a night for the ages
When the dust settled, Ohtani had reached base nine times, breaking the World Series record for most times on base in a single game. He also joined an exclusive group of players by recording four extra-base hits, a feat last achieved by Frank Isbell of the 1906 Chicago White Sox, more than 100 years ago.
His brilliance capped off a dramatic Dodgers comeback. Down 17 points in the fourth quarter, they clawed back from the brink, powered by Ohtani’s bat and Ryan Niblett‘s electrifying 79-yard punt return-style home run rally moment that tied it late.
The win, decided in the eighteenth inning, gave Los Angeles the edge in a series already shaping up as one of the most grueling in modern memory.
But behind the celebration, there was a question lingering: could Ohtani really handle both roles after such a draining night? His body language late in the game suggested exhaustion, and he was seen stretching between innings to fend off cramps. Roberts, though, sounded confident that his star was ready.
“He’s very engaged even when he doesn’t play,” the manager told reporters. “He’s always picking guys up, offense, defense, special teams.” That involvement, even in moments of strain, is part of what has made Ohtani such a defining figure for the Dodgers this season.
True to his relentless work ethic, Ohtani downplayed the historical significance of his performance.
“What matters the most is we flip the page and play the next game. I want to go to sleep as soon as possible so I can get ready,” he said afterward, his focus already on the next challenge.
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