The sound alone put a jolt in the ballpark.
asserted
sound → put → ballpark
For too long, Dodger Stadium hadn’t heard anything like it.
asserted
Stadium → hear → it
In his return from the injured list on Wednesday night, Shohei Ohtani came up in the bottom of the seventh inning and put a charge into a ball that went soaring through the late-summer night sky.
asserted
that → come → sky
Ohtani had squared it up, connecting on a 99 mph fastball from San Diego Padres right-hander Bradgley Rodriguez.
asserted
Ohtani → square → Rodriguez
He sent it scorching off his barrel, recording an exit velocity of 103.4 mph.
asserted
He → send → mph
For a brief moment, Chavez Ravine roared in anticipation.
asserted
Ravine → roar → anticipation
But then, Padres center fielder Jackson Merrill settled under it.
asserted
Merrill → settle → it
The 384-foot drive died at the warning track.
asserted
drive → die → track
In the Dodgers’ eventual 5-1 loss to the Padres, the swing was a reflection of where Ohtani finds himself at the moment: By all accounts, much improved from the visibly diminished state he was in before going on the injured list with right arm and left knee injuries; but also, still not back to his completely normal self with the start of the playoffs less than two weeks away.
asserted
start → find → playoffs
“He certainly feels way better,” president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said pregame.
asserted
Friedman → feel → operations
“I think just getting as many at-bats as he can and that rhythm and timing back before we head into October is going to be really helpful.”
asserted
we → think → October
In his comeback game, Ohtani got four trips to the plate.
asserted
Ohtani → get → plate
He singled in the first inning on a 99 mph line drive to right.
asserted
He → single → right
He drew a six-pitch walk in the third, showing improved plate discipline than he had during a dismal couple weeks leading up to his IL stint.
asserted
he → draw → stint
But he also struck out with the bases loaded in the fourth, squandering the Dodgers’ best chance to erase an early deficit by fanning on a full-count sinker from Padres reliever David Morgan (after having what initially appeared to be a run-scoring walk earlier in the at-bat overturned on an ABS challenge).
asserted
what → strike → challenge
Then, after his flyout in the seventh, he went down swinging again against Padres closer Mason Miller in the ninth to wrap a 1-for-4 showing.
asserted
he → go → showing
The most encouraging thing, of course, was the way Ohtani looked.
asserted
Ohtani → look → course
He wasn’t shaking out his arm.
asserted
He → shake → arm
He didn’t have any awkward one-handed finishes with his swing.
asserted
He → have → swing
And while his drive in the seventh didn’t clear the fence, it still marked the hardest contact he had made with a ball in almost six weeks (when measured by exit velo).
asserted
he → clear → velo
The question now is how much more Ohtani can improve before, and then throughout, October –– with the Dodgers remaining cautiously optimistic that the worst of his season-long health saga is finally behind him.
“There’s no question [his injuries] affected him,” Friedman said.
asserted
Friedman → improve → him
“And I think the fact that he feels as good as he does right now is certainly encouraging.
asserted
he → think → ?
Now, it’s about making sure that holds.”
asserted
that → ’ → ?
Indeed, before going on the IL, Ohtani was a shell of himself offensively.
asserted
Ohtani → go → himself
He had gone 6-for-his-last-52 before finally being shut down.
asserted
He → go → last-52
He was showing visible signs of pain and subtle deficiencies in his swing mechanics.
asserted
He → show → mechanics
Any flickering hopes of him returning to pitching this season were also finally blown out.
asserted
him → flicker → pitching
“A few weeks ago,” manager Dave Roberts said, “you could see that he couldn’t hit a fastball, he was underneath everything, and that it was a slower swing.”
uncertain
it → say → everything
For one night, at least, the Dodgers saw progress.
asserted
Dodgers → see → progress
But that doesn’t mean Ohtani is back to 100%.
asserted
Ohtani → mean → %
Roberts was careful to temper expectations before the game, noting that “it’s been a while since he’s played.”
asserted
he → temper → game
Friedman also highlighted some of the lingering uncertainties surrounding the 32-year-old slugger, saying the Dodgers would closely monitor how Ohtani feels after taking “game-intensity at-bats” again.
asserted
Ohtani → highlight → bats
“These aren’t things that there’s a clear answer to,” Friedman said when asked what version of Ohtani the Dodgers anticipate seeing in the playoffs.
asserted
Dodgers → ’ → playoffs
“I think everyone, this time of year, is dealing with some stuff.”
asserted
everyone → think → stuff
That’s why he went on the IL.
asserted
he → ’ → IL
It’s why he missed six of seven games even before that.
asserted
he → ’ → that
It’s why Wednesday felt like such an important test, with only five games remaining in the regular season for him to find “some rhythm and timing” with his swing entering the playoffs, as Friedman put it.
asserted
Friedman → ’ → it
“It’s go-time for all of us,” Roberts said beforehand.
asserted
Roberts → ’ → us
“I can’t really speak to if he’s going to hit a homer tonight, but I do think that there’s going to be a heightened focus.
asserted
I → speak → homer
So I think he’s in a good spot.”
asserted
he → think → spot
…and 1 more, not listed.
The Aporia
