Can Ohtani and the Dodgers pass the all-time wins record in 2024?
USA TODAY Sports’ Bob Nightengale shares his thoughts on Shohei Ohtani in LA and if the Dodgers can set the all-time single-season win record.
Sports Seriously
PHOENIX − They departed for their three-city, two-country, 5,400-mile, no day-off, bee-hived road trip with anxieties, questions and fears about whether this international star-studded team may be nothing more than a tease.
Well, 11 days later, the Los Angeles Dodgers returned home early Thursday morning proving once again they are the class of the National League West, and perhaps the most dangerous team in the land.
The Dodgers, after losing three consecutive series to sub-.500 teams in their last homestand, lived up to every bit of their preseason hype. They stopped in the nation’s capital in Washington, D.C., grabbed their passports for Toronto and returned to Phoenix where their season died a year ago. They not only won seven of nine games, but pummeled the opposition by a combined score of 53-19.
So, what’s wrong with the Dodgers?
Absolutely nothing.
“People expect us to win every game,’’ Dodgers sensation Mookie Betts told USA TODAY Sports. “They expect us to hit homers every at-bat. It’s like we’re not humans.
“It’s a silly game. You’re going to have ups and downs no matter who you are. It’s inevitable. Remember, this game is based off failure, not success. It’s good to have those expectations though. The guys we have in here, the coaches, we have a lot of confidence.
“But we got to go play.’’
The Dodgers were relentless on their magical mystery tour where Shohei Ohtani was booed for snubbing Toronto, Yoshinobu Yamamoto was questioned whether he seriously considered signing in New York, and a beehive relentlessly awaited to attack their mojo until a Phoenix beekeeper came to the rescue.
The Dodgers’ bats exploded at the top of the order, while the middle and even the bottom of the order proved to be just as lethal. Rookie outfielder Andy Pages, starting every game of the trip, hit .364 with five extra-base hits and seven RBI in his last eight games. He was joined by Miguel Rojas and Enrique Hernandez, who started six of the nine games, with the bottom-of-the-order trio hitting .333 with a .386 on-base percentage.
“The whole lineup,’’ said catcher Austin Barnes, “just kind of took off.’’
The Dodgers scored at least eight runs in four of their games, and for the first time in 18 years went one entire game without striking out.
“Andy’s a big part of that [success],’’ Roberts said. “Once he got called up, the bottom part of the order solidified and became more productive. I think you look at these nine games and the production the bottom half of the lineup has given us, that narrative should be silenced a little bit. It’s been big, really big for us.’’
The Dodgers rotation yielded a 2.45 ERA on the trip, including the resurgence of Yamamoto. The same guy who was hammered for five earned runs in one inning in his major league debut in South Korea against the San Diego Padres pitched six shutout innings Wednesday and is now 3-0 with a 1.64 ERA and 0.97 WHIP since his debut.
“I think I’m being able to keep myself very calm,’’ Yamamoto said, “and that’s one of the biggest reasons I’m being able to execute my pitches. There are some differences between here and Japan such as the PitchCom, pitch clock. I think I’m getting myself used to it, and I’m feeling more comfortable.’’
The bullpen, which lost setup man Ryan Brasier with a strained calf Monday, was lights out on the trip, yielding a 1.11 ERA.
And of course, there is Betts, who had five multiple-hit games on the trip with a .512 on-base percentage. He’s the runaway MVP one month into the season, hitting a league-leading .377 with a .481 on-base percentage, 1.104 OPS, 49 hits, 29 runs and 26 walks.
“He just conducts professional at-bats,’’ Roberts says, “and…
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