Ohtani's Stolen Base Streak Ends at 36 in NLCS; Caught for First Time Since July 22

The Los Angeles Dodgers are on a winning streak in the playoffs, even without a ton of home runs and stolen bases from Shohei Ohtani.

On Sunday night, the Japanese superstar was caught stealing for the first time in almost three months, breaking a remarkable run of 36 successful steals.

The Dodgers dominated the Mets with a 9-0 victory. Ohtani went 2 for 4, walked once, scored two runs, and drove in another.

He was thrown out trying to steal second base by Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez, marking the Dodgers' last out of the second inning in the NL Championship Series opener.

The last catcher to nab Ohtani was San Francisco’s Patrick Bailey on July 22, also at second base.

Ohtani's RBI single off Kodai Senga helped the Dodgers jump to a 3-0 lead, forcing the Mets' starter out of the game. He added another single in the fourth against David Peterson, benefiting from a fielding error by right fielder Starling Marte, and then scored on Freddie Freeman’s single, extending the lead to 6-0.

Since hitting a game-tying three-run homer in Game 1 of the NL Division Series against San Diego, Ohtani has been a bit quieter at the plate.

Manager Dave Roberts shared his thoughts, saying, “I think he’s in a solid place right now. In the last series, I felt he was chasing a bit, but tonight he found his groove again, and some good things came from that. Even one of his outs was nearly a home run.”

Ohtani has been impressive, going 6 for 8 with runners on base during the playoffs, but he’s 0 for 16 when the bases are empty.

Roberts added, “We perform better when we have guys on base with Shohei at the plate. When there are runners in scoring position, he tends to focus a bit more.”

In Game 1, the Dodgers scored nine runs, none of which were home runs.

Ohtani commented, “Everyone is doing their part, and getting on the board early is crucial for us,” speaking through an interpreter.

He made history as the first player to achieve a 50-50 season, batting .310, leading the National League with 54 home runs and 130 RBIs, while also stealing 59 bases out of 63 attempts.

After undergoing elbow surgery, the two-way star didn’t pitch this year.

The Dodgers' pitchers matched the postseason record for 33 consecutive scoreless innings, previously set by the Baltimore Orioles in the 1966 World Series.

Ohtani remarked, “All the pitchers have been performing exceptionally well, and it really sets the stage for our offense.”

SportsLigue