NEW YORK — As he went through his free-agency process this winter, Shohei Ohtani laid out his preferences. He wanted to join a team that made him feel comfortable, an organization he could call home the rest of his career.
But what Ohtani cared about most was joining a team that could help him get to where he hadn’t before. Ohtani had never appeared in a postseason game. He wanted to change that immediately.
In his first season with the Dodgers, Ohtani accomplished that. And after the Dodgers’ 7-6 win over the Yankees in Game 5 of the World Series, Ohtani can add one more feat to his already impressive resume: World Series champion.
“I’m honored to be able to be part of a season where we played the longest, and to be able to get to know this team,” Ohtani said through interpreter Will Ireton. “My first year and experience winning a World Series has been a tremendous honor.”
It wasn’t the World Series performance he was hoping for, as he went just 2-for-19 and suffered a left shoulder subluxation in Game 2. Still, he was able to become just the 14th player to win both a World Series and a Japan Series.
“We were able to get through the regular season, I think, because of the strength of this team, this organization,” Ohtani said. “And the success of the postseason is very similar to how we were able to pull it off during the regular season. Again, the strength of the organization. Extremely honored to be a part of this.”
Even with his modest production in the World Series, the Dodgers wouldn’t have been in this situation without Ohtani’s contributions throughout the year. As the Dodgers dealt with numerous injuries throughout the season, Ohtani was always the consistent producer atop the lineup.
Ohtani delivered one of the best individual seasons in Major League history, becoming the first player to record 50 homers and steal 50 bags in the same season. He’s the runaway favorite to win his third Most Valuable Player Award next month, his first in the National League.
“When you start supporting a teammate in his first year, like we did, for him to go out there and have the greatest season, I think, of all time,” said Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman. “That’s pretty special.”
In the postseason, Ohtani also delivered some big moments. His three-run homer in Game 1 of the NL Division Series against the Padres changed the momentum of the series. Without that blast, the Dodgers might have fallen into an early hole against San Diego. In the NL Championship Series against the Mets, Ohtani had some struggles, but hit a leadoff homer in Game 4.
“Six years in the States, arguably the best player in the big leagues. So he committed to us, and he wanted to play for a championship,” said Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. “For it to kind of come to fruition in his first year is pretty remarkable. What Shohei’s done to our ballclub, the Dodger fan base domestically, globally, I just don’t think you can quantify.”
As Ohtani celebrated in the Dodgers’ clubhouse on Wednesday, he told president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman that he wanted to take part in the champagne showers for the remaining nine seasons of his current deal.
Next season, Ohtani will no longer be rehabbing a second Tommy John surgery and will be back on the mound, making the Dodgers even more dangerous. But regardless of what happens in the future, arguably the game’s biggest star will be receiving his first World Series ring next March.
“For him to hoist that World Series trophy,” Roberts said. “That’s something he dreamed of, I’m sure, for quite some time.”
