Shohei Ohtani has mashed 100 mph fastballs for homers, stolen bases towards a few of the sport’s greatest catchers and not too long ago wrapped up probably the greatest common seasons in Main League Baseball historical past.
Now the Japanese famous person and his Los Angeles Dodgers need to face one thing that is arguably much more daunting.
A five-day break.
Since MLB’s most up-to-date 12-team playoff format took impact in 2022, 5 of the eight high seeds have misplaced within the Division Collection, unable to capitalize on the supposed reward of incomes a bye by the Wild Card Collection.
This 12 months, the Dodgers and Philadelphia Phillies have the highest two seeds within the Nationwide League, whereas the New York Yankees and Cleveland Guardians are in the identical place within the American League. That has given all of them 5 days to organize for the best-of-five sequence that start Saturday.
Positive, just a few days to heal bumps and bruises whereas different groups struggle it out is good. However there’s additionally a draw back.
“It is not a trip,” Phillies second baseman Bryson Stott stated following a exercise earlier this week.
Perhaps greater than some other skilled sport, baseball is one which depends on rhythm and routine. MLB squeezes 162 regular-season video games into 187 days over six months, which means groups play video games nearly each day from April to September. Aside from the All-Star break in July, there’s by no means two scheduled days off in a row.
5 days is a relative eternity. And it hasn’t all the time been a superb factor.
“It is a trade-off,” stated Chris Antonetti, Cleveland’s president of baseball operations. “The profit is you get break day. The draw back is you are not within the main league setting dealing with reside main league pitching within the regular cadence that you’d be through the season.
“However on stability, I believe I would nonetheless take the trade-off and wish the bye.”
The Guardians have performed simulated video games the previous three days to maintain contemporary. On Wednesday, they performed in an empty Progressive Discipline with crowd noise piped in, giving it the identical aura because the pandemic-marred 2020 season.
“What we have tried to do is be actually deliberate this week concerning the environments we’re creating to maintain our guys prepared and able to compete on Saturday,” Antonetti stated.
The Yankees are one of many groups which have had success underneath the present playoff format, profitable their 2022 Division Collection towards the Guardians following a five-day layoff. Supervisor Aaron Boone stated final week that a part of his plan was to carry a few of the group’s minor leaguers to New York, so there have been contemporary arms for hitters to face whereas they anticipate Saturday.
“We’ll do our greatest to prioritize making the most of the remaining, which I am certain a number of guys right now of the 12 months will profit from,” Boone stated. “However we’re additionally attempting to verify we maintain that psychological edge and maintain guys as sharp as we probably can with reside seems to be.”
The Dodgers are the poster youngster for what can go incorrect following a protracted break in October. They have been the highest NL seed in 2022 however misplaced in 4 video games to the San Diego Padres. Final season, in addition they earned a bye earlier than getting drilled by the Arizona Diamondbacks in a three-game sweep.
Now Los Angeles is again in the identical place. The Dodgers are in a great place in some ways — they have one of many sport’s greatest offensive lineups with Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman, and have clinched home-field benefit all through the playoffs due to a 98-64 report within the common season.
They’ve additionally tweaked their routine through the five-day break in contrast with the earlier two years, getting some swings towards high-velocity pitching machines that mimic MLB pitchers. Just a few of the group’s gamers even have organized watch events for the wild-card video games in an effort to maintain up camaraderie.
However one factor they will not have on Saturday is momentum.
They’re going to need to create it quick.
“I see some extra starvation, I see some extra edge. I like that,” Dodgers supervisor Dave Roberts stated. “To not say that guys weren’t ready or attempting or cared, however there is a totally different stage of depth.”
Reporting by The Related Press.
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