Shohei Ohtani spiced up game-winning HR celebration with shot at D’Backs

The Los Angeles Dodgers and Arizona Diamondbacks did not participate in a pitcher's duel on Friday. It was all offense all the time, resulting in a 14-11 victory for the visitors from Hollywood.

It was an impressive comeback effort from the Dodgers, who poured on six runs in the top of the ninth inning to secure the W. Ohtani provided the go-ahead dagger with this three-run tank — and a nifty little celebration.

Ohtani has not quite reached last season's MVP heights yet, but he remains the most intimidating plate presence in the National League. He is probably MLB's most clutch hitter, too. He's not the guy you want to see in a tie game in the ninth inning.

While he's shy by nature and not always the most expressive superstar, Ohtani's celebratory bat flip was well-earned on Friday evening. It happened to be a blatant recreation of Lourdes Gurriel's bat flip a few innings earlier, when the D'Backs All-Star smacked a game-tying grand slam.

I'm not going to sit here and be all curmudgeonly about Gurriel's theatrics — we should celebrate cool home runs in baseball — but when you flip the bat like that and savor your trot around the bases, you must be prepared to get mocked if your team subsequently blows it.

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Shohei Ohtani mocks Lourdes Gurriel Jr. on monster game-winning home run

Ohtani finished Friday's affair 3-for-6 with a three-run shot and four RBI. Gurriel went 1-for-5 with a grand slam and five RBI. The Dodgers' two-time reigning MVP now sits at .304/.408/.655 on the season with an NL-leading 12 home runs and 20 RBI, not to mention 10 stolen bases.

It's impossible not to come away impressed by Ohtani at almost every turn. It also feels like he has unlocked a new level of joy since joining the Dodgers. Ohtani was always a dominant force with the Los Angeles Angels, but he spent all six seasons in Anaheim on a mediocre team with zero World Series hopes. Now he's winning at the highest level and relishing it, which leads to moments like Friday's Gurriel reenactment.

At this point, we're all familiar with Ohtani's clutch gene. For Max Muncy, his Dodgers teammate, this is just par for the course.

"Whenever you see Sho put in these spots, you expect the incredible," Muncy told ESPN. "He rarely disappoints, and that's no different there."

At 26-13, the Dodgers now hold a one-game lead over the San Diego Padres in a highly competitive NL West. The D'Backs are 20-19, six games behind and in fourth place — but well within striking distance of an NL Wild Card spot. Arizona won the first game of this series, 5-3, with two more left on the docket after Friday's fireworks. This is a potential postseason preview, and it has not disappointed.