The numbers look small. The moments feel bigger. Ohtani’s October is testing how the Dodgers win when their star isn’t dictating counts.
This Los Angeles Dodgers roster was engineered for October edges: win the margins, win the moments, end the doubts. When that’s the blueprint, every Shohei Ohtani plate appearance is supposed to move the needle. Lately, it hasn’t. When the bracket shrinks and every plate appearance tilts the series, stars don’t just swing; they set the temperature.