The game stayed locked at 5-5 deep into the night until Freddie Freeman’s clutch swing in the 18th inning ended it. The Dodgers outlasted the Blue Jays in a 6-hour, 39-minute marathon—the second-longest World Series game ever at Dodger Stadium. Toronto’s pitchers kept Shohei Ohtani and the Dodgers in check for most of the night, but their defense finally cracked. Afterward, manager John Schneider conceded they couldn’t stop Ohtani, yet praised his team’s relentless fight.

Ohtani was a continuous presence in almost every extra inning, and the Blue Jays’ pitching strategy changed a lot. They walked him intentionally in the ninth, eleventh, thirteenth, and fifteenth innings.

Instead of facing him, they put the winning run on base every time. Toronto couldn’t take advantage of the approach; therefore, it failed several times. The other option, however, looked riskier because of what Shohei Ohtani had already done.

When asked about the intentional walks, Schneider’s response was telling. He said they were “trying to pitch around him… we trust our bullpen to execute” and acknowledged that for his pitchers “it’s hard to do when you’re trying to throw a ball and it doesn’t land where you want it.” The manager praised Ohtani’s game and then added, “After that, you just kind of take the bat out of his hands.”

The stats from Game 3 tell a story that is hard to believe. Shohei Ohtani was intentionally walked four times, setting a postseason record for a single game. He also broke the World Series record by getting on base nine times, which was more than his own record of seven. This tied the all-time MLB record for any game. Not only did the two-way star hit two home runs and two doubles, making him the first player since 1906 to hit four extra-base hits in a World Series game.

Despite the devastating loss, Schneider remained confident about Game 4. When asked about whether the team is exhausted after the 18-inning slugfest, he said, “Not at all.” Then comes a slight warning, mixed with confusion about how long the game went on.

He said, “This group is going to be ready to play tomorrow. It sucks that it’s late, but these guys were in the right mindset the entire time… The Dodgers didn’t win the World Series today — they just won a game. And these guys are going to be more than ready to go.”

Meanwhile, Dave Roberts called it, “One of the greatest games of all time.” Now with Game 4 all coming up, Ohtani’s magic will be shown on the mound.

Facing Shohei Ohtani again—this time on the mound

This October, Baseball is just getting started!

The Blue Jays saw Ohtani dominate from the batter’s box in Game 3. Now, they will have to deal with a whole other problem. The superstar who got on base nine times as a batter will start Game 4 as the pitcher.

Reports say that Shohei Ohtani will start Game 4, bringing his great playoff pitching form to the biggest stage. In two playoff starts this October, he has a 2.25 ERA across 12 innings and has struck out 19 batters while keeping his WHIP at 0.75.

He has only given up two runs in those games, which shows that he is just as dangerous on the mound as he is at the plate. His two wins and no losses show how tough the Blue Jays have to be to beat him.

Bob Nightengale posted an update on Shohei Ohtani after the long Game 3, which finished after midnight. Ohtani’s one goal was clear: “I want to go to bed and get my sleep.” The two-way star knows what’s coming up.

The Blue Jays now have to deal with the fact that they need to stop Ohtani from all sides of the game. If he pitches well tonight, the Dodgers might take a strong 3-1 series lead.

Toronto’s bats will have to figure out how to overcome baseball’s most unusual player when he’s controlling the game from 60 feet, six inches away. This has been a problem for them in the series.