Just As It Was Meant To Be

It was a storybook ending that we all knew was coming – a bottom-of-the-ninth Shohei Ohtani walk-off home run … on his bobblehead night.

Oh, sure, no one can really predict a home run (other than Babe Ruth), but if you haven’t figured it out by now, the 30-year-old Oshu, Japan native is our generation’s Babe Ruth.

In a game that the Atlanta Braves led almost wire to wire at a sold out Dodger Stadium on Wednesday night, and having scored two in the top of the first and three in the top of the second, the Dodgers entered the bottom of the eighth inning down 5-3.

But with two outs and Dodgers catcher Will Smith on second and left fielder Michael Conforto on third, struggling Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy roped a two-run double to right-center field to tie the game at 5-5.

“It means a lot to me. Obviously not the best start and then the way this game started for me, pretty tough,” Muncy told AM 570’s David Vassegh postgame. “So, to come through big for my teammates right there, they’ve been picking me up all year so far, and to finally come through for them is, you know, a little emotional for me,” he added.

And the came the ninth.

Dodgers left-hander Jack Dreyer held the Braves hitless and scoreless in the top of the eighth and ninth innings, setting the stage for a possible Dodgers walk-off win, especially with Ohtani due up second in the inning.

Struggling Dodgers outfielder Andy Pages led off the inning with his 11th strikeout of the young season (tying him Muncy for most on the team), bringing Ohtani to the plate. On the first pitch from Braves right-hander Raisel Iglesias, an 88.9-mph change-up on the outside corner, Ohtani drilled it 399 feet into the Left Field Pavilion for an opposite field walk-off home run.

“Shohei being Shohei at the end. And what better way to finish a game on his bobblehead night with a walk-off homer,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said postgame.

Just as it was meant to be.

Play Ball!

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