How Dodgers’ Dave Roberts’ comments may have fueled Shohei Ohtani’s horribly-timed slump originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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The Los Angeles Dodgers entered the MLB Postseason on fire—exactly what they needed after a rocky stretch. Everyone seemed to be in sync and clicking at the right time. Heading into the playoffs, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts believed that Shohei Ohtani had shifted into another gear.

“He’s in and has been in postseason mode,” Roberts told reporters ahead of the playoffs. “His September has been fantastic — at-bat quality, you can see it on the mound, he’s got a different look right now.”

Ohtani had a phenomenal regular season, breaking historic records and joining the ranks of legends like Ken Griffey Jr., Babe Ruth, and others. He also made franchise history with the Dodgers, among many other accolades.

“Shohei Ohtani has 102 home runs and 77 stolen bases since the beginning of last season. The next-most stolen bases by any player in a two-year span that they hit at least 100 home runs is 44 by Ken Griffey Jr. in 1998–1999,” Opta Stats posted.

However, Ohtani has yet to make a significant impact this postseason—aside from the two home runs he hit in the Wild Card series against the Cincinnati Reds. Since that explosive Game 1, he’s fallen into a slump.

“Dodgers Shohei Ohtani in this series — 1 for 12, 7 Ks. Since his 2 HR game in Game 1 v Reds — 2 for 16,” Dodgers beat writer Bill Plunkett wrote.

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This is not where the Dodgers want Ohtani to be—especially as their leadoff hitter. As superhuman as Ohtani often seems, these numbers are a reminder that even he is mortal. It could even be fair to conclude that Roberts jinxed Ohtani heading into the postseason.

While Ohtani could certainly just not be playing his best ball, Roberts’ earlier remarks aren’t turning into fruition. Perhaps, that high level confidence just turned into a big curse for Dodgers’ superstar.

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