Behind Shohei Ohtani’s bobblehead walk-off, ‘good vibe’ Dodgers off to historic start

Rowan Kavner

MLB Writer

LOS ANGELES — On Wednesday night, the Dodgers, unrecognizable through two innings and gloriously record-setting by night’s end, left their manager dumbfounded.

They had already secured their longest winning streak to start a season since moving to Los Angeles, but they weren’t playing like it behind Blake Snell. They trailed by five runs early, committed three errors and made even more defensive blunders that didn’t show up in the box score. They ran into outs. They got their hands on a “torpedo” bat only to watch it flail.

It was their sloppiest game of the year, and it was coming against a winless team desperate enough for a victory that the Braves had turned to their closer in the middle of an at-bat in an attempt to secure a five-out save.

“I was dumbfounded with the way we were playing,” Roberts said.

He was just as dumbfounded that the Dodgers, the seemingly indomitable behemoth that they are, still found a way to win.

Their eighth straight victory to begin the season passed the 1933 Yankees for the best start by a defending World Series champion in MLB history.

And it ended with more dramatics from their three-time MVP.

In the eighth inning, after three hitless at-bats, Max Muncy ditched the new torpedo bat he had acquired that morning, picked up his regular stick and erased the deficit with a game-tying two-run double off Raisel Iglesias to set up the dramatics. And in the ninth, on his bobblehead night, Shohei Ohtani stepped to the plate with a chance to write the Dodgers into the record books.

“You just feel that he’s going to do something special,” Roberts said.

He did not disappoint.

“Everyone knew,” Snell said. “We knew. It’s just what he does.”

Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani calls game, belts walk-off homer vs. Braves

A year ago, in the midst of his third MVP season and first with the Dodgers, Ohtani hit a walk-off grand slam to become the fastest player to record 40 homers and 40 steals in a season. One month later, he illustrated one of the greatest single-game performances of all time — 6-for-6, three homers, two doubles, two steals and 10 RBI — to become the first player in baseball history with a 50-50 season.

In between those feats, he celebrated a bobblehead night. His dog, Decoy, delivered the first pitch on Aug. 28, then Ohtani proceeded to deposit the fifth pitch of the game from Corbin Burnes into the seats for a leadoff homer.

“I said this last year about Sho, he keeps getting into these situations and moments where you’re expecting the unthinkable out of him, and he rarely disappoints,” Muncy said.

Wednesday was no exception.

A more dramatic opportunity awaited Ohtani on his latest bobblehead night in front of 50,281 fans, many of whom had waited outside the gates at Dodger Stadium more than three hours before first pitch for the chance to get their hands on the merchandise.

In a tie game with one out and nobody on in the ninth, Iglesias touched the outer edge of the plate with a belt-high changeup. Ohtani sent the pitch over the outstretched arm of center fielder Michael Harris II for a 399-foot walk-off blast and sent Dodger Stadium into a frenzy.

“I don’t know, he’s pretty good, huh?” Teoscar Hernández asked rhetorically. “It’s Shohei. He’s going to do that. He’s going to do things better than that.”

“It’s almost just, like, to be expected at this point,” Muncy added.

Ohtani’s latest feat ended the Braves’ West Coast road trip with an 0-7 record and their worst start since losing their first nine games in 2016.

The Dodgers, meanwhile, made much more triumphant history. Roberts has quipped that he’s “got the under” on a 162-0 season, but nothing has stopped them to this point.

Six of the Dodgers’ eight wins, including Wednesday’s furious late-inning barrage, have come in comeback fashion.

“It feels like this clubhouse is carrying a little bit of the attitude we had last year that we’re never out of a game, and we’re resilient,” Muncy said. “It’s been fun to watch. The guys don’t give up. Bad things have happened, and no one’s really been down or out on themselves.”

Perhaps most concerningly for the rest of the league, the Dodgers haven’t even looked close to the best version of themselves yet.

Freddie Freeman has missed five games. Mookie Betts has missed three. The three biggest offseason acquisitions haven’t yet performed to their capabilities. Closer Tanner Scott has a 5.40 ERA. Rookie Roki Sasaki has walked nine batters in two starts. Snell, their priciest free-agent signing, has allowed eight free passes in two starts.

They are still 8-0.

“Everybody knows about the talent that we have,” Tommy Edman said. “I think what makes the team special, though, is we’ve just got guys that have the experience and have been in those moments, and know what it takes.”

Through the first seven games, Roberts had at least lauded the team’s defense, baserunning and fundamentals. None of those skills were on display Wednesday behind Snell, who surrendered five unearned runs.

Muncy made two throwing errors in the first two innings, Andy Pages had a ball pop out of his glove in center field, and Edman committed a fielding error on a pickoff attempt. In addition, the Dodgers had one baserunner thrown out at third base and nearly watched it happen a second time.

None of it mattered.

“We believe we should win every game,” Snell said. “It’s fun to be around, and it’s fun when everyone knows that we’re gonna find a way.”

Roberts believes his team’s intelligence is one of its strengths. The Dodgers haven’t let last year’s success or the massive expectations that have followed them after another offseason spending spree weigh them down.

They’ve won on two continents. They’ve won after the pomp and circumstance of two different Opening Days. They’ve won with their shortstop losing close to 20 pounds due to illness. They’ve won with their first baseman dealing with more ankle and rib issues. They’ve won against each of the reigning Cy Young Award winners.

They’ve won by making pitches when they need them, showcasing their depth, piling on productive at-bats and getting timely hits, none bigger than Ohtani’s latest swing.

“Overall, not just tonight, there is a really good vibe within the team,” Ohtani said through his interpreter. “So, I just think that’s allowing us to come back in these games to win.”

Rowan Kavner is an MLB writer for FOX Sports. He previously covered the L.A. Dodgers, LA Clippers and Dallas Cowboys. An LSU grad, Rowan was born in California, grew up in Texas, then moved back to the West Coast in 2014. Follow him on X at @RowanKavner.

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