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140-587: The career leader in selections is Shohei Ohtani , who has been named an All-MLB player seven times. Ohtani is also the only player to be named to both teams in the same season (as a designated hitter and starting pitcher respectively), accomplished in 2021 and 2022 , and is the only player to be named to the first team twice in the same season, in 2023 . The roster of each team consists of one catcher , four infielders (one for each position), three outfielders regardless of position, one designated hitter , five starting pitchers , and two relief pitchers . Before

280-416: A major professional sports championship. This previously happened in four World Series ( 1963 , 1977 , 1978 , 1981), three NBA Finals ( 1970 , 1972 , and 1973 ) and the 2014 Stanley Cup Finals . Following the 2024 World Series, LA teams held a five to four advantage over New York City teams in terms of championship matchups between the two cities. Additionally, this World Series was contested between

420-588: A 10-year, $ 700 million contract with the Dodgers, the largest contract in professional sports history . Unable to pitch in 2024 while recovering from a second elbow injury, Ohtani played as a DH for the Dodgers. He became the first player in MLB history to record 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a season and was unanimously named the 2024 National League MVP. He won the 2024 World Series in his first MLB postseason appearance. Internationally, Ohtani represents Japan . At

560-533: A 10–4 record and a 1.86 ERA on the mound with 174 strikeouts in 140 innings. He tied for 8th in the PL in wins and was third in strikeouts (behind Norimoto and Kodai Senga ). He led Nippon Ham to the 2016 Japan Series , but lost the opener to the Hiroshima Carp; he struck out 11 in 6 innings but allowed 3 runs, two on a homer by Brad Eldred and one on a steal of home by Seiya Suzuki . Down 2 games to 0, he came up big as

700-563: A 160 km/h (99 mph) fastball as an 18-year-old high school pitcher, which at the time, had set a Japanese high school baseball record until it was surpassed by Rōki Sasaki 's 163 km/h (101 mph) fastball in 2018. Ohtani threw the pitch in the Japanese national high school baseball championship tournament, commonly called Summer Koshien . In the 2012 18U Baseball World Championship , Ohtani had an 0–1 win–loss record with 16 strikeouts , eight walks , five hits, five runs, and

840-427: A 397-foot three-run homer against Josh Tomlin . On April 6, he hit his third home run in three days, becoming the first Angels rookie to do so. In only his second start on the mound on April 8, Ohtani took a perfect game through 6⅓ innings before allowing a hit. Overall, Ohtani pitched seven scoreless innings while striking out 12. On June 8, he was placed on the injured list for the first time in his MLB career due to

980-656: A 4.35 earned run average (ERA) in 10 + 1 ⁄ 3 innings pitched. Ohtani expressed a desire to move directly to the major leagues after high school and received interest from numerous teams including the Texas Rangers , Boston Red Sox , New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers . On October 21, 2012, he announced that he would pursue a career in Major League Baseball rather than turn professional in Japan. The Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters decided to draft him in

1120-428: A 4–1 lead. Yamamoto allowed only one hit in 6 + 1 ⁄ 3 innings in his start. In the bottom of the seventh inning with two outs, Shohei Ohtani had a left shoulder subluxation when he slid in his steal attempt at second base, as he was caught stealing to end the seventh inning; he lay at second base in pain until his trainer tended him to leave the field. With the Dodgers leading by three runs, Blake Treinen

1260-729: A 67% increase from the previous year. The figures included a 53 share in Los Angeles, a 41 share in New York, and a 41 share in San Diego. Through the first two games, Japan averaged about 15 million viewers per game, exceeding the United States. Interest was driven by Ohtani, who won his first World Series in his first MLB playoff appearance after six playoff-less seasons with the Los Angeles Angels . Japanese ratings fell during Games 3-5, but

1400-506: A Grade 2 UCL sprain in his right elbow. He received platelet-rich plasma and stem-cell injections to treat the injury. Ohtani was activated from the injured list as a hitter on July 2 and on August 3, hit two home runs against the Cleveland Indians , marking his first career multiple-home run game and his first two home runs in a road game. After not pitching for 11 weeks, Angels manager Mike Scioscia announced that Ohtani would start

1540-521: A September 7 game against the Orix Buffaloes , he homered to straightaway center at Kyocera Dome to become the first Japanese player to reach double digits in both home runs and wins. He tossed a 1–0 shutout against Orix on September 13 and became the first pitcher out of high school to record a 1–0 shutout victory within his first two years for the Fighters since Toshiaki Moriyasu in 1967. He also became

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1680-414: A ball on the blue No.   34 painted on the pitcher's mound instead of throwing out a ceremonial first pitch . The two starters, Flaherty and Cole, kept the game scoreless through the first four innings. After Enrique Hernández hit a triple in the bottom of the fifth inning, he scored the game's first run via a sacrifice fly by Will Smith . In the top of the sixth, Giancarlo Stanton hit

1820-578: A career-high four walks on September 22 and three walks on September 23, against the Houston Astros , followed by four more walks on September 24 and two walks on September 25 against the Seattle Mariners. His 11 walks drawn in the three-game span also tied the MLB record set by Harper in 2016. On September 26, Ohtani reached the 150-strikeout milestone against the Seattle Mariners and finished

1960-554: A career-low ERA of 1.86. He had a 10–4 record, struck out 174 batters in 140 innings with 4 complete games and one shutout. He also won the Best Nine award as a pitcher and won the Pacific League MVP. He got nearly double as many votes as any other pitcher for the PL for the 2016 NPB All-Star Game; he had 300,025 while #2 Shota Takeda had 158,008. He could not pitch in the event due to a blister on his finger but wound up starring as

2100-470: A changeup. Furthermore, in spring training, the Angels and Ohtani agreed to allow him to play without limitations or restrictions and drop the "Ohtani Rules", a plan the Angels mirrored from Ohtani's schedule in Japan and had implemented since his 2018 rookie season that restricted his usage to a schedule of pitching once a week and hitting only three to four times between starts. On February 8, Ohtani agreed to

2240-476: A clinching game. The World Series MVP Award went to Freeman, the first player to homer in the first four games of a World Series and whose 12 RBIs tied the World Series record set in 1960 by Bobby Richardson . Freeman became the 12th player to win regular season MVP and World Series MVP in a career. 2024 World Series (4–1): Los Angeles Dodgers beat New York Yankees . For the 25th consecutive year,

2380-634: A deep rotation of starters including Carlos Rodón , rookie Luis Gil , Nestor Cortes , Marcus Stroman , and Clarke Schmidt . At the trade deadline, the team added Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Mark Leiter Jr. The New York Yankees qualified for the postseason as the American League East division winner and the league's first seed. In the American League Division Series , they defeated the Kansas City Royals in four games. In

2520-556: A designated hitter (DH). In Game 1, he batted for DH Yuya Hasegawa and lined out in the 8th against Scott Mathieson . Starting at DH and hitting 5th in Game 2, he homered off Shoichi Ino in the 5th to start the PL comeback from a 3–0 deficit. He singled against Ryo Akiyoshi in the 7th and scored on a hit by Kenta Imamiya for a 4–3 lead. Coming up with a 5–4 deficit in the 8th, he singled off Shinji Tajima to bring in Shogo Akiyama with

2660-585: A few forkballs in the mid-140s, including one he threw perfectly in the second inning to strike out Tampa Bay Rays star Ben Zobrist . In December, he became the second player out of high school in NPB history to reach 100M yen in salary in his third year, after Daisuke Matsuzaka in 2001. His new contract more than tripled his previous salary estimated at 30M yen. 2015 marked Ohtani's third professional season (and second full season). Though his offensive production declined somewhat (five home runs), his performance on

2800-521: A game as a pitcher, bat in the heart of the order (3rd through 5th), and get a hit and a run batted in (RBI) in that game. He missed time during the year with a right ankle sprain and right cheekbone fracture. For the season, he was 3–0 with a 4.23 ERA, 33 walks, and 46 strikeouts in 61 + 2 ⁄ 3 innings. and hit .238/.284/.376 in 204 plate appearances . He had seven outfield assists to one error. His 8 hit batsmen tied Manabu Mima , Tadashi Settsu , Hideaki Wakui and Ryoma Nogami for 5th in

2940-514: A hit until Keun-woo Jeong singled in the seventh inning and had the most whiffs in a game for the first Premier 12 ever. Norimoto relieved with a 3–0 lead but he and two other relievers combined to allow four in the 9th to blow it as Japan fell in a shocking defeat. He tied for the event lead in ERA and led in strikeouts while allowing the lowest average by a starting pitcher. He was named the All-Star SP for

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3080-541: A manager for the Yankees, was seeking his first World Series win as a manager. The Yankees were looking to win their league-leading 28th World Series championship title. Los Angeles won the series, 4–1. Game 1 featured starting pitchers Jack Flaherty for the Dodgers and Gerrit Cole for the Yankees. Country singer Brad Paisley performed " The Star-Spangled Banner ". In tribute to Fernando Valenzuela , his former Dodger teammates Orel Hershiser and Steve Yeager placed

3220-512: A new rule that allows for a pitcher in the batting order to remain in the game as a designated hitter after they are pulled from the pitching mound, colloquially dubbed the " Ohtani rule ". The Angels named him as the Opening Day starting pitcher and he pitched 4 + 2 ⁄ 3 innings against the Houston Astros , allowing one earned run and one walk while striking out nine. He became the first player in MLB history to start Opening Day as both

3360-408: A no-decision. He finished the season 15–5 with a 2.24 ERA, 196 strikeouts, and only 100 hits in 160 + 2 ⁄ 3 innings. He led the PL in ERA (.14 over Nishi), tied Wakui for the most wins, and was second in strikeouts (19 behind Norimoto, though he threw 34 fewer innings). He rarely played the field but did see some action at DH, hitting .202/.252/.376 with five home runs in 109 at-bats. He made

3500-490: A pitcher and outfielder, utilizing his strong throwing arm as well as his impressive batting skills. As a hitter, he batted .274, with 28 extra-base hits (including 10 home runs), 31 RBIs, and a .842 on-base plus slugging percentage in 212 at-bats. As a pitcher, he was 11–4 with a 2.61 ERA in 24 starts and struck out 179 (third in NPB) in 155.1 innings. His 10.4 K/9 was the best in the league and opponents hit just .223 against him. In

3640-455: A pitcher. He was the second Nippon Pro Baseball rookie drafted out of high school the previous year to be used as both a pitcher and position player, following Kikuo Tokunaga in 1951; Ohtani was the first to start in both roles. He was the first NPB pitcher since Takao Kajimoto in 1963 to bat 3rd, 4th, or 5th and the first rookie hurler to do so since Junzo Sekine in 1950. He was the second player, following Osamu Takechi (also 1950), to start

3780-400: A sacrifice fly to score Ohtani and tie the game. In the top of the ninth, Michael Kopech was sent in by Roberts to close out the ninth inning. He got the first two batters he faced to ground out but then gave up a hit to Torres that was caught at the wall by a fan. Instead of a home run, he was awarded second base on a fan interference call, and the game remained tied at 2–2. After a review,

3920-417: A single season to finish with the second-most home runs in a season in Angels history at 46, trailing only Troy Glaus ' 47 home runs in 2000. For the year, Ohtani finished his pitching campaign by making 23 starts on the mound, going 9–2 with a 3.18 ERA, 156 strikeouts, 1.09 WHIP, and 44 walks in 130 1/3 innings. On the hitting side, Ohtani finished with an American League-leading 20 intentional walks, which

4060-565: A single season. He also surpassed Shawn Green 's Dodgers single-season home run record with 54 home runs. At the All-Star Game , the Dodgers sent six players—Ohtani, Betts, Hernández, Glasnow, Freddie Freeman , and Will Smith . At the trade deadline, the Dodgers added starting pitcher Jack Flaherty , set-up reliever Michael Kopech , and utility player Tommy Edman ; Edman won the NLCS MVP Award after recording 11 runs batted in (RBIs) in

4200-446: A single, Edman followed with a broken-bat infield single, and Will Smith followed with a four-pitch walk. With the bases loaded, Kahnle was relieved by Luke Weaver , pitching in his third straight game. Weaver allowed a Gavin Lux sacrifice fly that scored Hernández, tying the game at 6–6, which moved Edman to third. Shohei Ohtani next reached on a catcher's interference , once again loading

4340-417: A slow ground ball from Mookie Betts resulted in an RBI infield single when first baseman Anthony Rizzo did not charge the bag after fielding the ball and Cole did not cover first base; had this play been made, the inning would have ended with no runs scored. With the Dodgers' deficit now 5–1 and the bases still loaded, Freddie Freeman then hit a two-run single and Teoscar Hernández a two-run double, tying

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4480-406: A solo home run for the Yankees in the sixth inning to increase the lead to two. The Yankees scored five more runs in the bottom of the eighth inning off Dodger reliever Brett Honeywell Jr. on an RBI fielder's choice by Verdugo, a three-run home run by Gleyber Torres , and an RBI single by Aaron Judge , extending the lead to 11–4. Tim Mayza closed out Game 4 to make the Yankees the first team since

4620-415: A two-out, two-run home run in the bottom of the ninth to cut the Los Angeles lead in half at 4–2. However, the next batter, Gleyber Torres , grounded out to end the game and give the Dodgers a 3–0 series lead. Buehler pitched five scoreless innings in the game for the Dodgers to receive the win. R&B singer and New York native Ashanti performed the national anthem before Game 4 and Paul O'Neill threw

4760-473: A two-run home run after a Juan Soto walk, giving the Yankees a 2–1 lead and knocking Flaherty out of the game. Cole was removed from the game after giving up a leadoff single to Teoscar Hernández in the seventh. In the bottom of the eighth, Shohei Ohtani hit a ball off the top of the outfield wall and reached second base, but Juan Soto's throw got away from second baseman Gleyber Torres , and Ohtani advanced to third base. The next batter, Mookie Betts , hit

4900-483: A two-year $ 8.5 million contract with the Angels, avoiding arbitration . On June 23, he hit for himself as a pitcher and the second batter in the lineup with designated hitter rules in place, making it the first time in MLB history that an American League team chose not to use a DH while a National League team used one. On July 7, he hit his 32nd home run of the year, a solo shot off of Boston Red Sox starter Eduardo Rodríguez , passing Hideki Matsui 's mark in 2004, for

5040-657: Is a Japanese professional baseball pitcher and designated hitter (DH) for the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball (MLB). Nicknamed " Shotime ", he has previously played in MLB for the Los Angeles Angels and in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters . Because of his elite contributions as a hitter and as a pitcher, a rarity as a two-way player , Ohtani's prime seasons have been considered among

5180-553: The 2012 NPB Draft nevertheless, despite knowing that there was a high likelihood he would not play for them. After an exclusive negotiating window between him and the Fighters, Ohtani announced that he would sign with the Fighters and spend some years in Japan before a possible MLB move. Hokkaido said it would allow Ohtani to serve as a pitcher and position player; the Los Angeles Dodgers, who had become Ohtani's top-choice MLB team, were not prepared to let him play both ways. He

5320-412: The 2016 Japan Series and had cost him a chance to play in the 2017 World Baseball Classic in addition to restricting his playing time during the season. On November 21, 2017, MLB and NPB came to a posting agreement for Ohtani. Because he was under 25 years old, Ohtani was subjected to international signing rules. This capped his bonus at $ 3.557 million and limited him to a rookie salary scale, while

5460-547: The 2020 World Series . This was just the fifth time in the Wild Card era (1995–present) where both teams with the best record in each league faced each other in the World Series. This was the first World Series played outside the state of Texas since 2018 and the first to not feature a team from Texas since 2020 . Additionally, this was the eighth straight World Series to feature a team from Texas or California . The Houston Astros won AL pennants in 2017, 2019, 2021 and 2022;

5600-685: The 2023 World Baseball Classic , he won the MVP Award for the tournament following Japan's victory over the United States . The 2023 final was one of the most-watched baseball games in history, culminating with Ohtani striking out Angels teammate and USA captain Mike Trout on a full count , securing a 3–2 win and Japan's third title. Ohtani was born to Kayoko and Toru Ohtani in Mizusawa (now part of Ōshū ), Iwate , Japan, on July 5, 1994. His mother Kayoko

5740-580: The ALDS and ALCS in their entirety. For Freddie Freeman 's Game 1 walk-off grand slam, Fox broadcaster Joe Davis ' call of "...she is gone!" echoed that of legendary Dodgers and then-NBC broadcaster Vin Scully for Kirk Gibson's Game 1 walk-off home run in the 1988 World Series ; and Davis also added, " Gibby , meet Freddie!". Fox announced that the World Series delivered a combined average domestic viewership (on Fox, Fox Deportes , and streaming) of 15.8 million,

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5880-601: The American League Championship Series , they defeated the Cleveland Guardians in five games to win their 41st pennant in franchise history and return to the World Series for the first time since their championship season in 2009 , putting an end to their 15-year World Series appearance drought . Giancarlo Stanton won the ALCS MVP award with four home runs and seven RBIs. This World Series marked

6020-501: The Cincinnati Reds in 1970 to force a fifth game and avoid being swept after having lost the first three games in a World Series. R&B singer Babyface sang the national anthem before Game 5 and Hideki Matsui threw the ceremonial first pitch to Jose Trevino . The game featured a pitching rematch of Game 1 between Gerrit Cole for the Yankees and Jack Flaherty for the Dodgers. After being limited by Flaherty in Game 1,

6160-682: The Edgar Martínez Outstanding Designated Hitter Award . Ohtani was also awarded the Silver Slugger Award for being the best offensive player at the designated hitter position in the American League, and was named to Time 100 's list of most influential people of 2021, which culminated to many end-of-the-season-accolades. He was named Associated Press AP Athlete of the Year , Sporting News Athlete of

6300-473: The Los Angeles Angels in 2021 and 2023. During the 2024 regular season, Judge hit 58 home runs while Ohtani hit 54 during his 50–50 season , meaning that this is the first time in Major League Baseball history that two batters who hit 50 home runs in the same regular season are playing against each other in the World Series. Because of the renewal of the rivalry between the two storied franchises, and

6440-604: The Los Angeles Dodgers won NL pennants in 2017, 2018, 2020, and 2024; and the Texas Rangers won the AL pennant in 2023. After back-to-back upset losses to division rivals in the postseason in 2022 and 2023 , the Dodgers looked to reshape their roster. In the off-season, they signed superstar two-way player Shohei Ohtani to a record $ 700   million, 10 year contract. Other big additions were signing outfielder Teoscar Hernández and pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto (from Japan through

6580-535: The Prime Minister of Japan in recognition of his accomplishments, but Ohtani rejected it, saying it was "still too early" for such an award. On December 22, The Sporting News released the article "The 50 greatest seasons in sports history, ranked". In it, Ohtani's 2021 season was ranked No.1, topping great seasons by athletes such as Babe Ruth , Michael Jordan , Tom Brady , Wayne Gretzky , and Lionel Messi . On March 22, 2022, Major League Baseball introduced

6720-508: The San Francisco Giants for the second-most among National League clubs and the fifth-most overall. The Dodgers also joined their 2020 team , the 2018 Red Sox , the 2016 Cubs , the 2013 Red Sox , the 2009 Yankees , the 2007 Red Sox , and the 1998 Yankees as teams to win a World Series after having the best regular-season record in MLB in the wild card era. The Dodgers also set the record for most runs to come from behind from in

6860-416: The posting system ) and trading for starting pitcher Tyler Glasnow . During the regular season, the Dodgers were not quite as dominant as previous years due to various pitching injuries, a two-month hand injury to Mookie Betts , and a three-month abdominal injury to Max Muncy , failing to win 100 games for the first time in a full season since 2018 . However, they still achieved the best win-loss record in

7000-523: The 16th recipient of the Commissioner's Historic Achievement Award , awarded by Commissioner Rob Manfred , who formally recognized Ohtani's 2021 season as "historically significant" and "unprecedented", calling it "so special that it was important to recognize the historic achievement that took place in 2021 with an award just about 2021." Ohtani was offered Japan's national honor, the People's Honour Award , by

7140-499: The 1st inning. With the count 0–1, Ohtani threw a fastball that registered 162 km/h (101 mph) on the stadium radar gun and shattered Ginji's bat in half. He also hit 162 km/h twice against the second hitter, Aoi Enomoto . Of the 15 pitches he threw in the first inning, eight were in the 160s; 99s in MPH. During the postseason, Ohtani was chosen to become a member of the national team , dubbed Samurai Japan , and participated in

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7280-479: The 2013 Pacific League. Ohtani received 4 of the 233 votes for the 2013 Nippon Professional Baseball Rookie of the Year Award (Pacific League), tying Tatsuya Sato for a distant second behind Takahiro Norimoto . During his five-year tenure with the Fighters, Ohtani opted to live in the team's provided dormitories, while his parents oversaw his finances. Throughout the entire season, Ohtani performed double-duty as

7420-665: The 2022 season, the designated hitter was only used in the American League (as well as interleague games hosted by American League teams), except during the COVID-19 -affected 2020 season. The following players have been selected for an All-MLB Team three or more times. Updated as of the conclusion of the 2024 Major League Baseball season . Shohei Ohtani This is an accepted version of this page Shohei Ohtani ( Japanese : 大谷 翔平 , Hepburn : Ōtani Shōhei , pronounced [oːtaɲi ɕoːheː] ; born July 5, 1994)

7560-418: The Angels, soon winning the 2018 American League (AL) Rookie of the Year Award . Following an injury-plagued 2019 and 2020, Ohtani hit 46 home runs and struck out 156 batters en route to winning his first AL Most Valuable Player Award (MVP) in 2021, a statistically unprecedented two-way season that saw him bestowed with the Commissioner's Historic Achievement Award . In 2022, he became the first player in

7700-544: The Best Nine as the PL's top hurler. He finished third in MVP voting again, placing behind Yanagita and Shogo Akiyama for the 2015 Pacific League MVP. Ohtani placed third in MVP voting (first among pitchers) and was one of three candidates considered for the 2015 Sawamura Award, given annually to the top pitcher in either league. Ohtani led the league in wins and winning percentage with a 15–5 record in just 22 starts, and his 2.24 ERA, five complete games, and three shutouts were also

7840-556: The DH in Game 3, getting three hits, a run, and an RBI. In the bottom of the 10th, he singled off Daichi Osera score Nishikawa with the winner; Nippon Ham would take the next three games to win their second Japan Series title. Teammate Brandon Laird would win the Series MVP. Ohtani hit .375/.412/.625 with four doubles, doing more on offense than on the mound for the Series. He made the Best Nine as

7980-497: The Dodgers took a 3–0 series lead before losing Game 4 in New York. They would win their eighth World Series title the next day, coming back from a 5–0 deficit, a record for most runs to come from behind in a World Series clinching game. This series marked the twelfth World Series meeting between the Dodgers and Yankees and the first since 1981 . It was also the thirteenth meeting between teams from New York City and Los Angeles for

8120-519: The Dodgers were down by a run and down to their last out in Game 1 of the World Series. Fox broadcaster Joe Davis ' call of "...she is gone!" echoed that of legendary Dodgers and then- NBC broadcaster Vin Scully for the Gibson homer, and Davis also added, "Gibby, meet Freddie!" Both Gibson's and Freeman's home runs were to right field at Dodger Stadium in almost the same spot and both came at 8:37 PM Pacific Time. Game 1 has been widely referred to as one of

8260-422: The Dodgers. The Yankees, however, had poor defense throughout the series, which was highlighted by the five-run fifth inning in Game 5 that saw New York not convert three routine plays into outs. Yankees' ace and Game 5 starter Gerrit Cole lamented on the inning, calling it "as bad as it gets [defensively]". Longtime New York baseball sportswriter Bill Madden would call the Yankees 2024 World Series loss one of

8400-510: The MLB in home runs. Joining Soto and Judge as All-Stars were relief pitcher Clay Holmes . The Yankees' closer role initially belonged to Holmes, but after recording an MLB-leading 11 blown saves , he lost the position. Luke Weaver took over the role in September and retained it throughout their postseason run. After not appearing in a game until June   19 due a spring training injury, reigning AL Cy Young award winner Gerrit Cole headed

8540-687: The Spanish-language telecasts, with play-by-play announcer Adrian Garcia Marquez , analyst Edgar Gonzalez , and reporters Carlos Alvarez and Jaime Motta. MLB International provided television coverage outside of the United States, using feeds remotely produced by MLB Network . Dave Flemming (play-by-play) and Ryan Spilborghs (color commentator) were the English-language commentators. Univision aired Game 1 in Spanish for its first World Series telecast, after its sister network UniMás carried both

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8680-628: The Suzuki All-Star Series, a five-game friendly competition with a squad of major leaguers. In Game 1, he pitched one shutout inning in relief, retiring three consecutive batters. He started Game 5 at the Sapporo Dome and, although his team ultimately lost (3–1), he wasn't charged with an earned run (he gave up two unearned), and of the 12 outs he recorded in four innings, he got seven via strikeout. He threw mostly fastballs, even clocked one at 160 km/h (99 mph), occasional curveballs, and

8820-462: The World Series debuts of both Ohtani and Judge, many regarded the matchup as a "dream" World Series in the lead-up to the event. The Dodgers won a three-game series against the Yankees in June in New York, winning the first two games before dropping the finale, though Juan Soto did not appear in the series. This was the first World Series to feature the teams with the best record in each league since

8960-479: The World Series games at Dodger Stadium to pay tribute to former pitcher Fernando Valenzuela , who died shortly before the 2024 World Series and who was vital to the team's 1981 championship season . After missing the postseason in 2023 , the New York Yankees traded for star outfielder Juan Soto to help bolster their lineup. Soto and Aaron Judge helped the Yankees to lead the American League in runs and

9100-490: The World Series still drew an average of 12.9 million Japanese viewers. The U.S. viewership numbers in the game-by-game table below do not include Fox Deportes. For the 27th consecutive year, ESPN Radio broadcast the series in the United States. Jon Sciambi did play-by-play, while Jessica Mendoza (who was part of the Dodgers' television crew on Spectrum SportsNet LA during the regular season) and Eduardo Pérez provided color commentary and Buster Olney reported from

9240-547: The World Series was televised in the United States by Fox . Play-by-play announcer Joe Davis (who was the Dodgers' lead television announcer on Spectrum SportsNet LA during the regular season) called the games, along with Baseball Hall of Famer John Smoltz as color analyst and Ken Rosenthal and Tom Verducci as field reporters . Kevin Burkhardt hosted the pregame and postgame shows, joined by analysts Derek Jeter , Alex Rodriguez , and David Ortiz . Fox Deportes aired

9380-498: The World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff between the National League (NL) champion Los Angeles Dodgers and the American League (AL) champion New York Yankees . It was the Dodgers' first World Series appearance and win since 2020 , and the Yankees' first World Series appearance since 2009 . The series began on October   25 and ended on October   30 with the Dodgers winning in five games. Freddie Freeman

9520-447: The Yankees intentionally walked Betts, thus loading the bases and bringing Freddie Freeman to the plate. On the first pitch, Freeman hit a walk-off grand slam over the right field wall, winning Game 1 for Los Angeles. This is the third consecutive World Series Game 1 to be decided in extra innings, after it previously occurred in 2022 and 2023 . Freeman's homer was the first walk-off grand slam in World Series history as well as

9660-474: The Yankees the lead again at 6–5. Blake Treinen , the Dodgers' closer, entered to record the final out of the sixth and retire the side in the seventh. On the other side, Cole remained in for the Yankees for another 1 + 2 ⁄ 3 innings to help the Yankees reach the eighth inning with the lead. In the top of the eighth, the Yankees sent in reliever Tommy Kahnle , who had not allowed an earned run in eight postseason games. Hernandez once again led off with

9800-407: The Yankees' lead to 4–0, and chasing Flaherty from the game after just four outs. Giancarlo Stanton led off the third inning with a first-pitch solo home run off Ryan Brasier , pushing the Yankees' lead to 5–0. Through four innings, Cole held the Dodgers hitless and allowed just two walks. In the fifth, the Yankees committed a series of errors and defensive mistakes that allowed the Dodgers to tie

9940-441: The Yankees' offense started very quickly in Game 5, scoring the first runs for the first time in the series. In the bottom of the first inning, Juan Soto drew a walk, which was followed by a first-pitch two-run home run by Aaron Judge and a solo home run by Jazz Chisholm Jr. to give the Yankees an early 3–0 advantage. In the bottom of the second, Anthony Volpe hit a double and scored on an RBI single by Alex Verdugo , extending

10080-430: The Year , Baseball Digest Player of the Year and Baseball America Major League Player of the Year . From his MLB peers he was given Sporting News Player of the Year Award , Players Choice Player of the Year Award , and Players Choice American League Outstanding Player Award . He was also named as both the team's Los Angeles Angels Player of the Year of 2021 and the team's Nick Adenhart Pitcher of

10220-458: The Year Award , as voted by his teammates. Additionally, Ohtani's 2021 season was recognized for two Guinness World Records titles: (1) the first MLB player to achieve 100+ innings and record 100+ strikeouts as a pitcher, and 100+ RBIs, hits and runs as a batter in a single season and (2) the first player to start the MLB All-Star Game as a pitcher and a designated hitter. He also became

10360-418: The bases. On the first pitch of his at-bat, Betts hit a sacrifice fly to score Edman, giving the Dodgers a 7–6 lead. In the bottom of the inning, Treinen allowed a one-out double to Judge and a walk, but induced a flyout to Stanton and struck out Rizzo to complete 2 + 1 ⁄ 3 scoreless innings of relief in his longest outing of the season. With the Dodgers still maintaining a one-run lead heading into

10500-458: The best in the league. All these stats were career bests, as were his 196 strikeouts, 0.909 WHIP, and 11 strikeouts per nine innings. Ohtani was dominant for the Japanese national team in the 2015 Premier 12. He hit 100 mph while blowing away eventual champion South Korea (10 K, 2 H, 2 BB, 0 R in 6 IP) before Norimoto was relieved. Facing South Korea again in the semifinals, he was even sharper (11 K, 0 BB, 1 HB, 1 H in 7 IP). He did not give up

10640-514: The bottom of the ninth, and with very few remaining bullpen options available, Dave Roberts called on Game 3 starter Walker Buehler to close out the game and season. Buehler, on one day's rest, pitched a perfect ninth inning, striking out Austin Wells and Alex Verdugo for the final two outs and clinching the title for Los Angeles. With the win, the Dodgers won their eighth World Series championship in franchise history, tying their longtime rivals

10780-429: The bottom of the third inning, Volpe hit a two-out grand slam off of Daniel Hudson to give the Yankees a 5–2 lead. Will Smith hit a home run for the Dodgers in the fifth inning to cut the lead to two runs. Later that inning, Tommy Edman scored when Freeman beat out a fielder's choice to first base after the Dodgers won a review challenge on what had originally been called an inning-ending double play . Wells hit

10920-423: The call was upheld. After intentionally walking Juan Soto , Kopech was removed from the game and replaced by Blake Treinen , who got Aaron Judge to pop out, ending the inning. Yankees closer Luke Weaver pitched a perfect inning in the bottom of the ninth, sending the game into extra innings. In the top of the tenth, Treinen gave up a one-out single to Jazz Chisholm Jr. who then stole second base. Anthony Rizzo

11060-497: The ceremonial first pitch to A. J. Burnett . Luis Gil was the starting pitcher in Game 4 for the Yankees. The Dodgers employed a bullpen game with Ben Casparius as the opener . In the top of the first inning, Freddie Freeman hit a two-run home run, breaking the record he had tied in the previous game with the sixth consecutive World Series game he had homered in. In the bottom of the first inning, Gleyber Torres flied out to right fielder Mookie Betts in foul territory for

11200-408: The ceremonial first pitch. In the bottom of the second inning, Tommy Edman hit a solo home run off Rodón as the Dodgers took a 1–0 lead. Juan Soto hit a solo home run off Yamamoto in the top of the third inning to tie the game. In the bottom of the inning, Mookie Betts hit a single followed by a Teoscar Hernández two-run home run and a solo home run by Freddie Freeman to give the Dodgers

11340-521: The debut of Aaron Judge , Giancarlo Stanton , and Gleyber Torres , while Gerrit Cole , Juan Soto , and Anthony Rizzo returned to the World Series for the second time in their careers. Rizzo and Soto were seeking second career World Series championship, having won with the Chicago Cubs and Washington Nationals , respectively, while Cole was seeking his first championship after the Houston Astros lost in 2019 . Aaron Boone , in his seventh season as

11480-577: The end of July. And for the second straight month, Ohtani also earned his second American League Player of the Month Award, becoming the first back-to-back Player of the Month Award winner in either league since Chase Headley in August and September 2012, and the first in the AL since Josh Hamilton in 2012. For July, he produced nine home runs, 19 RBIs, 16 walks, and a .282/.396/.671 slash line in 23 games at

11620-689: The end of Ohtani's impressive 2018 MLB regular season, the American media admitted they wrote off Ohtani far too early. Before the start of the season, the Angels announced that they would use him as both a hitter and a pitcher. Ohtani started as the designated hitter on Opening Day , March 29, against the Oakland Athletics , singling in his first at-bat off of Kendall Graveman . On April 1, he made his pitching debut, striking out six batters in six innings while allowing three runs, to pick up his first MLB win. On April 3, Ohtani hit his first MLB home run,

11760-472: The event ( Sho Nakata was the only other member of Samurai Japan to be picked for the All-Star team). In 104 games and 382 plate appearances in 2016, Ohtani hit 22 home runs. He also hit 18 doubles, 67 RBI, batted .322 with an OBP of .416, scored 65 runs, and had seven stolen bases. He won the Best Nine award as the designated hitter. Ohtani was the same dominant pitcher on the mound. In 21 games pitched, he had

11900-696: The field. TUDN Radio broadcast the series in Spanish. The flagship radio stations for both teams also produced local broadcasts of each game. In Los Angeles, KLAC and KTNQ broadcast in English and Spanish respectively, while in New York, WFAN (in English) and WADO (in Spanish) aired the games. The series marked the last broadcasts for longtime Yankees radio play-by-play announcer John Sterling of WFAN, as he had announced his retirement in April 2024. The 2024 World Series

12040-413: The first out of the inning. As he leapt to make the catch against the wall, Betts was accosted by two Yankees fans who attempted to strip the ball from his glove. The fans were ejected from the stadium and banned from the rest of the series. The Yankees scored a run in the bottom of the second inning after Anthony Volpe drew a walk, Austin Wells hit a double , and Alex Verdugo hit an RBI groundout. In

12180-570: The first pitcher out of high school to notch two shutout victories within his first two years in the NPB since Yu Darvish. During the July 2014 Mazda All-Star Game, he threw a 162 km/h (101 mph) fastball in the bottom of the first inning, setting a new record for the fastest official pitch thrown by a Japanese pitcher, beating the record set by the Yakult Swallows' Yoshinori Sato in 2010 (161 km/h (100 mph)). The jersey he wore during

12320-519: The first player in Angels history to hit 40 home runs and have 20 stolen bases in the same season. He joined Alex Rodriguez in 2007 and Ken Griffey Jr. in 1999 as the 3rd AL player to accomplish this feat before September. He also became the first AL player to reach both of those totals in a season since Curtis Granderson in 2011. From September 22 to 25, Ohtani drew 13 walks in a 4-game span, tying an AL/NL record set by Babe Ruth in 1930, Bryce Harper in 2016, and Yasmani Grandal in 2021. He drew

12460-734: The first player in MLB history to have at least 45 homers, 25 stolen bases, 100 RBIs, 100 runs, and eight triples in a season and the second player in AL history to record at least 45 homers and 25 stolen bases in a season, joining Jose Canseco in 1998. He led the league with a wins above replacement (WAR) value of 9.1 and finished third in home runs (46), fourth in slugging percentage (.592), fifth in OPS (.965), first in triples (eight), fifth in drawing walks (96), eighth in stolen bases (26), second in extra-base hits (80), second in intentional walks (20), fifth in OPS+ (158), and first in power-speed number (33.2). Ohtani

12600-550: The former having won with the Braves in 2021 and the latter two having won with the Dodgers in 2020, while Betts was seeking his third World Series championship and the second with the Dodgers, having won with the Red Sox in 2018 and with the Dodgers in 2020. Dave Roberts , in his ninth year as a manager for the Dodgers, was seeking his second World Series championship as a manager, and third overall. The Dodgers also announced plans to use

12740-644: The fourth time in eight years ( 2017 – 2018 , 2020, and 2024). The Dodgers were just the second team in MLB history to face the two New York baseball teams in a single postseason, following the 1999 Braves . The Dodgers were looking to win their eighth World Series title. For the Dodgers, 2024 marked the World Series debuts of Ohtani, Yamamoto, T. Hernández, and Edman. Freddie Freeman and Will Smith made their second World Series appearances. Max Muncy , Mookie Betts , and Walker Buehler made their third World Series appearances. Freeman, Smith, Muncy, and Buehler were seeking their second World Series championships, with

12880-582: The game against the Houston Astros on September 2. However, hampered by a tight back and sore finger he only lasted 2 + 1 ⁄ 3 innings in the game. Ohtani ended his first major league season with a batting average of .285, a .361 on-base-percentage, 22 home runs, 61 RBIs, and 10 stolen bases. In 10 starts on the mound, he notched a 4–2 record with a 3.31 ERA, 1.16 walks plus hits per inning pitched (WHIP), and 63 strikeouts. His .564 slugging percentage ranked seventh overall among MLB players with at least 350 plate appearances for this season. He became

13020-429: The game at 5–all, with all five runs unearned . The Yankees continued to put traffic on, forcing the Dodgers to burn through relievers. In the bottom of the fifth, Alex Vesia escaped a two-out bases-loaded jam to keep the game tied at 5–5. In the bottom of the sixth, Brusdar Graterol allowed the first two Yankees to reach on walks, with the lead runner Soto scoring two batters later on a Stanton sacrifice fly to give

13160-497: The game sold for 1,752,000 yen ($ 17,000 ), making it the top-seller at the All-Star 2014 Charity Auction. The proceeds were donated to three Tohoku earthquake children's relief funds. On October 5 against the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles , Ohtani recorded the fastest pitch by a Japanese pitcher in an official game, tying Marc Kroon 's allord for NPB pitchers. The pitch came against lead-off hitter Akaminai Ginji in

13300-412: The greatest World Series games of all time. American rapper and Los Angeles native Ice Cube performed " Bow Down " and " It Was a Good Day " before Game 2. Pearle Peterson, a 19-year-old, sang the national anthem, accompanied by organist Dieter Ruehle . Game 2 featured starting pitchers Yoshinobu Yamamoto for the Dodgers and Carlos Rodón for the Yankees. Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier threw out

13440-429: The greatest in baseball history, with some comparing them favorably to the early career of Babe Ruth . Considered early on as an elite two-way player, Ohtani was the first pick of the Fighters in the 2012 NPB draft. He played for the Fighters from 2013 through 2017 as a pitcher and an outfielder , and won the 2016 Japan Series with them. The Fighters posted Ohtani to MLB after the 2017 season, and he signed with

13580-403: The injury. Ohtani's debut MLB spring training in 2018 was disastrous and the majority of American news sources were extremely disappointed, concluding that he could not accomplish even one of his two-way abilities. Over two spring games against major leaguer batters, in just 2.2 innings pitching he gave up three home runs and had a 27.0 earned run average (average ERA for MLB pitchers

13720-505: The majors that year and won the National League West . They qualified for the postseason for the 12th consecutive season, dating back to 2013 , the third-longest streak in MLB history. Although Ohtani could not pitch in 2024 due to elbow surgery, he was tremendously successful as a batter and baserunner. Playing at designated hitter, Ohtani became the first player in MLB history to break the 50 home runs, 50 stolen bases barrier in

13860-408: The modern era to qualify for both the hitting and pitching leaderboards in one season, finishing third in the AL with 219 strikeouts. Ohtani won his second AL MVP in 2023, leading the AL with 44 home runs while recording 10 wins as a pitcher. He was the first player to win multiple unanimous MVPs and the first Japanese-born player to win a league home run title . After the 2023 season, Ohtani signed

14000-447: The most home runs hit during a season by a Japanese-born player in MLB. Ohtani became the first player to be selected as an All-Star as both a position player and a pitcher. Ohtani participated in the 2021 Home Run Derby on July 12. He lost to Juan Soto in the first round, but set a record for the most home runs in the Derby of at least 500 feet with six. In the All-Star Game , he was

14140-424: The mound was among the best in the league, earning him the starter role in the 2015 All-Star Game and the pitching spot in the end-of-year Pacific League Best Nine awards. Ohtani started the 2015 NPB All-Star Game 1 for the PL. He went two innings and struck out two, allowing one run (on a double by Yoshitomo Tsutsugo and a single by Jose Lopez ), relieved by Nishi with a 1–0 deficit. The PL would lose 8–6 but he got

14280-456: The new 2020 MLB season rules in a game against the Oakland Athletics . He was thrown out in a rundown. On July 26, Ohtani returned to the mound against the Oakland Athletics , making his first pitching appearance since September 2018. He allowed five runs and was removed from the mound without recording an out, starting his season with a loss and an infinite ERA . After his second start he began to experience discomfort in his right arm, and it

14420-505: The other one) and one second-place vote. He had 1,268 vote points, to 298 for runner-up Laird. In 2017, he played in 65 games, hitting .332 with eight homers and 31 RBIs while posting a 3–2 record, a 3.20 ERA, and 29 strikeouts as a pitcher. In September, it was revealed that Ohtani would ask to be posted at the end of the season to play in Major League Baseball in 2018. However, before that could happen, he had surgery on his right ankle in early October. The injury had originally occurred in

14560-475: The plate, and a 1.35 ERA with 17 strikeouts and one walk in 20 innings. On August 18, Ohtani hit his 40th of the year, becoming the first left-handed batter in Angels history to reach 40 home runs, surpassing lefty Reggie Jackson 's 1982 record of 39. He capped off the month of August by stealing his 20th base in a game on August 28 against the San Diego Padres , becoming the first Japanese-born player and

14700-516: The same high school as pitcher Yusei Kikuchi , whom he admired; Ohtani competed there as a swimmer and played baseball. Ohtani's high school baseball coach, Hiroshi Sasaki, said that he was a fast swimmer who could have competed in the Olympics. Under Sasaki's guidance, Hanamaki Higashi's players lived on campus, returning home for only six days a year. Sasaki would assign toilet cleaning chores to Ohtani, to teach him humility. In 2012, Ohtani threw

14840-529: The same season. Additionally, in the same game, Ohtani became the first pitcher to throw a scoreless top half and record a hit, a RBI, a stolen base and a scored run while playing in an AL ballpark since Luis Tiant did so for the Minnesota Twins on April 26, 1970. Ohtani would finish the month of July as the first player in Major League history to ever have at least 37 home runs and 15 stolen bases before

14980-423: The score. After a leadoff single by Kiké Hernandez , Judge committed his first error of the season, dropping a routine fly ball off the bat of Tommy Edman that put runners on first and second. Anthony Volpe then committed a throwing error while trying to throw out Hernandez at third on Will Smith's ground ball, which loaded the bases with no outs. Cole responded by striking out Gavin Lux and Shohei Ohtani , but

15120-549: The season). In the hours after the game 5 win, there were isolated incidents in Los Angeles, such as fans spray painting graffiti on an occupied Metro bus and then lighting it on fire, and others looting a Nike store in Downtown Los Angeles . Los Angeles Police called a tactical alert. A fan sustained a serious injury to his hand lighting a firework. The Dodgers held a parade from Los Angeles City Hall to L.A. Central Public Library along Grand Avenue followed by

15260-508: The second out. After the Volpe at-bat, Treinen was replaced with Alex Vesia , who got pinch-hitter Jose Trevino to fly out on the first pitch, ending the game and giving Los Angeles a 2–0 series lead. Fat Joe performed " New York " and " All the Way Up " prior to Game 3. New York native Leslie Odom Jr. sang the national anthem and Derek Jeter threw the ceremonial first pitch. Joe's performance

15400-554: The second-fastest Angels rookie to reach 20 home runs, and he joined Babe Ruth as the only MLB players with 10 pitching appearances and 20 homers in a season. He also won the American League Rookie of the Month award twice; in April and in September. On September 3, it was revealed that Ohtani would undergo Tommy John surgery , after an MRI showed new damage to his UCL. He underwent the surgery on October 1. On November 12, he

15540-625: The series. In the National League Division Series , the Dodgers faced a 2-1 deficit to their division rival San Diego Padres before rallying to take the series in five games. In the National League Championship Series , they defeated the New York Mets in six games to win their 25th pennant in franchise history and return to the World Series for the first time since their championship season in 2020 , and

15680-420: The signing team also had to pay a $ 20 million posting fee to the Fighters. Ohtani narrowed his finalists to seven teams, signing with the Angels for a $ 2.315 million bonus. On December 9, 2017, Ohtani signed his deal with the Los Angeles Angels . On December 13, it was revealed that he had been diagnosed with a first-degree UCL sprain in his right elbow and received a platelet-rich plasma injection to treat

15820-466: The starting pitcher and leadoff designated hitter for the American League. On July 26, in his 15th pitching start of the season against the Colorado Rockies , Ohtani became the first pitcher in league history to register 100 strikeouts while holding a major-league-leading 35 home runs before the end of July, as no pitcher had ever recorded triple-digit strikeouts and added more than nine home runs in

15960-542: The starting pitcher and the leadoff hitter. Ohtani recorded two home runs, including a grand slam , on May 9, against the Tampa Bay Rays , marking the second time of the season and the eighth time in his career for Ohtani to record a multi-homer game, surpassing Ichiro Suzuki for the most by a Japanese-born player in MLB history, The grand slam was the first of his professional career, including both NPB and MLB. On May 14, he hit his 100th career MLB home run, making him

16100-409: The third Japanese-born player with at least 100 homers in the majors, trailing only Hideki Matsui with 175 and Suzuki with 117. Ohtani also joined Babe Ruth as the only players with at least 100 home runs and at least 250 strikeouts as a pitcher. 2024 World Series The 2024 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball 's (MLB) 2024 season . The 120th edition of

16240-520: The third Series walk-off homer of any kind for a team that was trailing, following Joe Carter 's World Series-winning home run for the Toronto Blue Jays in 1993 and Kirk Gibson 's Game 1-winning home run for the Dodgers in 1988 . In particular, Freeman's home run was widely compared to Gibson's off the Athletics' Dennis Eckersley , as both players were playing through injuries at the time and

16380-461: The top of the third inning, Tommy Edman led off with a walk, advanced on a groundout and then scored on a single by Mookie Betts . The Dodgers threatened again in the fourth with runners at first and third and no outs, but the rally was thwarted when Gavin Lux was tagged out on a close play at home on an attempted squeeze bunt by Edman. In the bottom half of the inning, Giancarlo Stanton doubled and tried to score on Anthony Volpe 's single, but he

16520-478: The top pitcher and top DH in the PL. He became the first player to receive the awards as both a pitcher and a hitter. He topped four-time Cuban MVP Alfredo Despaigne easily at DH (190 votes to 47; three others combined for eight votes) but the vote at pitcher was closer (he had 111 of 245 votes, Ishikawa 69 and Tsuyoshi Wada 61). He was the runaway winner of the 2016 Pacific League Most Valuable Player Award, getting 253 of 254 first-place votes ( Naoki Miyanishi got

16660-519: The two eventual winners of the most valuable player (MVP) awards in their respective leagues: Aaron Judge of the Yankees and Shohei Ohtani of the Dodgers. This was the first World Series since 2012 (when Buster Posey of the San Francisco Giants faced Miguel Cabrera of the Detroit Tigers ) to feature the two league MVPs from that season. Judge won the American League (AL) MVP Award in 2022, while Ohtani won two AL MVP awards unanimously with

16800-414: The tying run. He thus produced three of the PL's five runs in the 5–5 tie, earning him game MVP honors. He hit 165 km/h (102.5 mph) on the radar gun during the year, setting a new NPB record. The record was broken by Thyago Vieira five years later, but he still holds the record for a Japanese player. He finished the year at .322/.416/.588 with 22 home runs in 382 plate appearances on offense and

16940-556: The way he wanted to. Ohtani said, "[Until 2019], I could more or less do the things I wanted to do. I'd pretty much never experienced the feeling of wanting to do something but being completely unable to do it." After the results of the 2019 and 2020 seasons, Ohtani spent the offseason overhauling himself. He adjusted his diet, threw bullpen sessions earlier than usual and took batting practice against live pitching, an offseason first for him. He also embraced data and technology to optimize his training and recovery and also tinkered with

17080-472: The worst in franchise history, while fellow New York sportswriter Joel Sherman referred to the series as a dark cloud over the Aaron Boone and Aaron Judge era, who fell to 1-7 to non- AL Central teams in the postseason since 2017 . In the lead-up to the series, Dodgers' scouts told their players to put the ball in play and make the Yankees execute (this in reference to New York's sloppy defense throughout

17220-410: The year unbeaten at home, going 6–0 with a 1.95 ERA in 13 starts. Ohtani's home ERA was the lowest by an Angels starter since Jered Weaver in 2011. He also became the sixth starter in AL or NL history to make at least 13 home starts without a losing decision and an ERA below 2.00 in a season. In the last game of the season against the Seattle Mariners , he passed teammate Mike Trout 's 45 home runs in

17360-434: Was 4.14 that year). He completed his five game spring training, three of which against minor leaguers, with an 11.7 ERA in pitching, and 4 hits for 32 at bats , .125/.222/.125 in batting ( batting average / on-base percentage / slugging percentage , averaged .248/.318/.409 for MLB batters that year). Several major newspapers suggested he needed plenty of Triple-A minor league appearances before starting for Angels. By

17500-561: Was a national-level badminton player in high school and his father Tōru ( 徹 ) worked at a local automobile manufacturing plant and was an amateur baseball player who played in the Japanese Industrial League . Ohtani is the youngest of three children. He has one older sister, Yuka, and one older brother, Ryuta ( 龍太 ) , who is also an amateur baseball player in the Japanese Industrial League. In Japan, Ohtani

17640-422: Was also cut down at the plate via an accurate throw by left fielder Teoscar Hernandez to keep the Yankees off the board. The Dodgers added another run in the sixth inning when Gavin Lux was hit by a Jake Cousins pitch, stole second base, and scored on a single by Enrique Hernández . The Yankees left five runners on base over the next three innings before Alex Verdugo followed an Anthony Rizzo single with

17780-441: Was assigned the jersey number 11, previously worn by Yu Darvish . Ohtani made his debut at age 18 in the Fighters' season-opening game on March 29, 2013, playing as a right fielder . He was selected for a Pacific League roster spot for the 2013 All-star game . As a pitcher, he finished the season with a 3–0 record in 11 starts. As a rookie Ohtani was used in both the outfield (leading the Fighters with 51 games in right) and as

17920-567: Was eventually revealed that he had a flexor strain in his right elbow after undergoing an MRI. He was shut down from pitching for the rest of the season. On the offensive side, Ohtani finished the season batting .190/.291/.366 with seven home runs, 24 RBIs, and seven stolen bases in 43 games. The culmination of experiencing injuries in his 2019 and 2020 campaigns led to Ohtani describing feeling "frustrated" and "useless". He went on to say that while his 2019 had been disappointing, his 2020 had been "more like pathetic" because he could not pitch or hit

18060-474: Was intentionally walked, and Chisholm Jr. stole third. The next batter, Anthony Volpe , hit an RBI force-out that was bobbled by Tommy Edman , allowing Chisholm Jr. to score the go-ahead run, giving the Yankees a 3–2 lead. With the Yankees leading by a run, reliever Jake Cousins was sent in to pitch the last three outs. He got Smith to fly out, then walked Gavin Lux . Edman followed with an infield single to put runners on first and second with one out. Cousins

18200-670: Was known as a " yakyū shōnen " ( 野球少年 ; "baseball boy")—a kid who lives, eats and breathes baseball. Coached by his father, he displayed an aptitude for the game at an early age. He began playing baseball in his second year of elementary school, and as a seventh-grader, Ohtani recorded all but one of 18 outs in a six- inning regional championship game. As a teenager, Ohtani could have played baseball for any powerhouse high school team in big cities such as Osaka or Yokohama . Instead, he opted to stay local, selecting Hanamaki Higashi High School in Iwate Prefecture , Northern Japan,

18340-476: Was mostly panned by fans on social media. Clarke Schmidt was the starting pitcher for the Yankees and Walker Buehler for the Dodgers. In the top of the first inning, after Shohei Ohtani 's leadoff walk, Freddie Freeman hit a two-run home run, tying a record by homering in his fifth straight World Series game going back to the 2021 World Series , where he appeared as a member of the Atlanta Braves . In

18480-465: Was named the American League Rookie of the Year . On May 7, 2019, Ohtani played in his first game with the Angels since undergoing Tommy John surgery, batting as a designated hitter against the Detroit Tigers . In a June 13 game against the Tampa Bay Rays , he became the first Japanese-born player to hit for the cycle in MLB history. On September 12, his season prematurely ended after it

18620-503: Was named the MVP of the series, tying a World Series record with 12 runs batted in (RBIs) while hitting home runs in the first four games of the series, including the first walk-off grand slam in World Series history in Game 1. The Dodgers and Yankees entered the 2024 MLB postseason as the top seeds in their respective leagues. The Dodgers had home-field advantage in the series due to their better regular season win-loss record . It

18760-404: Was revealed that he needed surgery to repair a bipartite patella . He finished the season batting .286/.343/.505 with 18 home runs, 62 RBIs, and 12 stolen bases in 106 games. The 2020 MLB season did not start until July 24 due to the COVID-19 pandemic . On July 24, Ohtani was the first ever automatic player on second base in an official MLB game at the start of the 10th inning as part of one of

18900-406: Was sent in to close out the game in the top of the ninth. He gave up a leadoff single to Soto, who advanced to second on a wild pitch. After Aaron Judge struck out, Giancarlo Stanton hit a ground ball that bounced off the third base bag and into the outfield, scoring Soto. The Yankees then loaded the bases with an Anthony Rizzo hit-by-pitch and Jazz Chisholm Jr. single, but Volpe struck out for

19040-401: Was sponsored by Capital One , as part of a five-year, reported $ 125 million deal that included advertising in the stadium and commercials during Fox's telecasts of the games. Despite losing in five games, the Yankees had more hits, more home runs, more stolen bases, and more walks over the course of the series. On the pitching side, they allowed far fewer base runners and held a lower ERA than

19180-569: Was the 12th time in the Dodgers–Yankees rivalry that the teams have met in the World Series, but only the first instance since 1981 . The teams had previously faced each other at least once per decade from the 1940s through the 1980s. The Yankees held a 6–1 edge in the World Series rivalry during the Brooklyn Dodgers / Subway Series era, and the teams were 2–2 following the Dodgers' relocation to Los Angeles. In their 2024 World Series meeting,

19320-433: Was the most by an AL player since Trout in 2018. Ohtani, who batted .257/.372/.592, including 46 home runs — runner-up for the MLB lead in homers , 100 RBI, 103 runs, and 26 steals in 155 games and 639 plate appearances, hit several milestones to close his season, reaching both 100 RBIs and 100 runs for the first time in his career. He also tied for the MLB lead with eight triples to go along with 26 stolen bases. Ohtani became

19460-426: Was then removed from the game and replaced with Nestor Cortés Jr. , who hadn't pitched since September 18. Cortés Jr. first faced Ohtani, who hit a ball into foul territory that was caught by a leaping Alex Verdugo , who toppled into the front row of the stands. Because Verdugo went out of play with the ball, the runners were awarded one base, advancing them to second and third. With the Dodgers down to their final out,

19600-498: Was unanimously voted the American League Most Valuable Player , becoming the 23rd pitcher and first designated hitter to win the award. For the 2021 All-MLB Team , Ohtani is the only player to be named to both teams, first team and second team, in the same season (as a designated hitter and starting pitcher respectively). He became the first pitcher, the first Japanese player and the first Angels player to win

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