Morry Gash/AP Photos
MILWAUKEE – In Seiya Suzuki’s first game back from an energy-sapping illness, his legs wobbled. He struggled to see the ball. But he knew he was running out of time to build confidence into the postseason.
Days later, he snapped into a version of himself that topped even his impressive early-season hot streaks. He hit five home runs in the last four games of the regular season and extended the streak into Game 1 of the wild-card series against the Padres – a franchise first.
“I’ve heard that once the postseason starts, everybody kind of shifts into another gear,” he’d said through Japanese interpreter Edwin Stanberry in the final weeks of the season.