Padres shy about plan for dealing with Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani

The first laugh of this National League Division Series came Friday afternoon when San Diego Padres manager Mike Shildt was asked how his club planned to attack Shohei Ohtani.

“I’m not telling you,” Shildt replied with a laugh that was returned by the mass of media at his press conference.

“He’s a great player, he’s had a historic year,” Shildt added. “But we are happy with our plan.”

The second moment of levity, on the eve of the best-of-five Dodgers-Padres series, came a few hours later. And this time it was suggested by Ohtani himself.

Sitting in the same chair in the interview room at Dodger Stadium, Ohtani was asked if he was nervous about his first MLB postseason, which began with Game 1 on Saturday night.

To his left, interpreter Will Ireton began translating the question into Japanese. Before he could finish, Ohtani responded in English.

“No,” he said with a quick grin and a gentle shake of his head, prompting more laughter.

Of all the factors that could determine the NLDS, Ohtani's performance may be the biggest. And he played well against the Padres this season. In 12 games, perhaps the Netherlands' most valuable player batted 15 for 46 (.326) with six doubles, a home run and an on-base-plus-slugging percentage of .922. During last week's series at Dodger Stadium, Ohtani scored go-ahead hits on consecutive nights, helping the Dodgers to back-to-back victories that secured their division.

The Dodgers are back in the playoffs. But how long is the big question.

“He’s the most talented hitter on the field,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “He can change the game in a lot of different ways.”

Still, Ohtani will be breaking new ground and will be in the spotlight for the first time in October. The 30-year-old slugger took that pressure on Friday, calling his first postseason appearance a “childhood dream” that he had eagerly awaited since arriving from Japan in 2018.

“The excitement (of playoff baseball) is greater than anything I could ever feel,” Ohtani said of Ireton.

Apparently nerves too.

“If there's anyone I think can handle this, it's certainly Shohei,” Roberts reiterated. “I think he just brings a next-generation megastar to our ballclub.”

Ohtani should get chances to impress in the NLDS, with Shildt indicating the Padres have no plans to simply bypass him.

“Yes, you want to take Shohei out of the equation,” Shildt said. “But… I’m not the type of guy who likes to run away from the competition. We clearly take our hats off and he is clearly an exceptional player. But I also believe in our boys.”

“We’re confident we can get Ohtani out,” Shildt added.

San Diego Padres manager Mike Shildt speaks to reporters during a news conference at Dodger Stadium on Friday.

(Ashley Landis/Associated Press)

San Diego's Game 1 starter, Dylan Cease, who was acquired in the spring, will be the first to meet that challenge. While Cease had held Ohtani to four hits in 15 at-bats prior to Game 1, two of those hits were home runs, and during the regular season Ohtani reached base in three of six plate appearances against the hard-throwing right-hander with a walk and a double in the Dodgers' win on September 25.

“You have to mix it up and do your best to keep it on the plate,” Cease said. “I don’t want to go into too much detail but he’s obviously a great batsman. That’s why I’m going to approach the matter with great concentration and simply attack.”

The Padres' real advantage over Ohtani figures lies in their left-handed bullpen. Newcomer Tanner Scott has been one of the toughest pitchers for Ohtani in his career, holding him to a one-for-nine mark with one walk in ten plate appearances before Game 1, against left-handed batters including Wandy Peralta (two for seven in the game 1), Adrian Morejon (three for four with a home run) and Yuki Matsui (three for five).

“A lot of times we have a left-handed hitter on Ohtani that we prefer,” Shildt said, pointing to Ohtani's .288 batting average and .867 OPS against lefties during the regular season compared to his .322 average and 1.128 OPS against righties. “The numbers back that up, and we like our lefties.”

The only thing Shildt and Cease said is that the Padres would be wary of suggesting Ohtani too cautiously. After all, the Dodgers were expected to have at least one former MVP in the batting order in Mookie Betts, and possibly another if Freddie Freeman recovered from his ankle sprain in time for Game 1 (which Roberts expected as of Friday afternoon).

“If you're pitching tentatively and overtaking guys or falling behind, you're really just setting yourself up for failure,” Cease said. “At the end of the day, it’s challenging and difficult, but you have to rise to the challenge and overcome it.”

As Ohtani begins his first postseason — seven years, 860 games and more than 3,000 at-bats after arriving in the majors — the same goes for him.

“I am very grateful to the people who have supported me over the years,” Ohtani said. “And I really want to return the favor by making sure I enjoy the game and stay focused on it.”