Shohei Ohtani curbed postseason woes in the loudest way possible

We were wondering when Shohei Ohtani would make his grand appearance in Game 3 of the NLCS matchup between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the New York Mets. It looked like his best moment would be celebrating Kike Hernandez’s two-run home run in the sixth inning. 

Then he made his entrance to Citi Field the only way he knew how: With the loudest crack of the bat to silence the crowd. You had a feeling Ohtani was going to make his presence known during the New York road trip during the NLCS, you just didn’t know when. 

Well a three-run home run in the eighth inning fits the bill. 

I guess patience is key. Because we were all getting antsy to see one of baseball's best hitters finally break through against the Mets. We’ve been waiting six games for Ohtani’s second postseason home run and he finally delivered. 

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Shohei Ohtani’s moonshot against the New York Mets could foreshadow his performance the rest of NLCS

Maybe this is the moment Ohtani needed to spark his otherwise disappointing postseason. Disappointing by his standards anyway. Before Wednesday, he had a hit in just four of the seven games. And aside from getting three RBIn in Game 1 against the Padres, he only has two RBI in the other six games. 

Ohtani had massive expectations entering the first postseason of his MLB career. He smacked over 50 home runs during the regular season and did exactly what the Dodgers expected of him when they agreed on a 10-year, $700 million contract. 

But after an anti-climatic start to the MLB playoffs, we weren’t quite sure what to expect during Ohtani’s first postseason run. With one smooth swing of the bat, he reminded us all just how good he is. And to be patient.