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Ohtani is going to the World Series for the first time, achieving the goal he had when he signed with the Dodgers
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Ohtani is going to the World Series for the first time, achieving the goal he had when he signed with the Dodgers

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Shohei Ohtani got what he came for when he decided to sign with the Los Angeles Dodgers: a trip to the World Series.

“I really feel like we’re finally there. I have finally arrived at this stage,” Ohtani said afterward through a translator Sunday night 10-5 win over the New York Mets closed the NL Championship Series in six games.

Ohtani hit .364 with two home runs, six RBIs, nine walks and an OPS of 1.184 against the Mets, including two hits and an RBI in Game 6. He is hitting .286 with three home runs and 10 RBIs in eleven games in his first ‘ postseason’ on the way to the World Series starts Friday against the New York Yankees.

When he signed it record $700 million, 10-year contract last DecemberOhtani agreed to defer $68 million annually to provide flexibility to the team’s payroll. The Dodgers signed pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto, traded for pitcher Tyler Glasnow and signed outfielder Teoscar Hernández, among others.

“The goal was to get this far,” Ohtani said, “and I also imagined getting this far with the contract I signed.”

This year he didn’t pitch, which he recovered from elbow surgeryOhtani hit .310 with a NL-best 54 home runs and 130 RBIs along with 59 stolen bases, becoming the first 50-50 player. He will likely win his first NL MVP award after a pair of AL MVPs.

“He’s the biggest baseball star in the world. Not just the game, the world,” said teammate Max Muncy. “He shows up every day, you expect something incredible from him and he rarely disappoints. He works really hard, he’s a great teammate. We loved having him in the clubhouse and it was an absolute treat to be his teammate all year long.”

Ohtani is 18 for his last 23 RISP and returns to his 10-RBI match on September 19, when he won the first 50-50 player. He went 0-for-22 with no runners on base.

“There’s nothing in particular that I changed,” Ohtani said. “Obviously when there are situations, I change the way I swing. But in terms of my approach, I’ve continued with my approach all the way through. I do think it partly has to do with a small sample size.”

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APMLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb