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Shohei Ohtani’s moonshot lingers as NLCS enters pivotal Game 4 | Baseball Bar-B-Cast

Yahoo Sports MLB analysts Jake Mintz and Jordan Shusterman reflect on Los Angeles’ 8-0 win in Game 3 - highlighted by Ohtani’s upper deck home run - and look ahead to the pitching matchup for Thursday night’s Game 4. Hear the full conversation on the “Baseball Bar-B-Cast” podcast - and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you listen.

Video Transcript

Something I will never forget that I regret, which is my head was down when Shohei Otani made contact in the top of the eighth, I was in my seat, but my head was down for that pitch for our job.

We're writing every night during these games.

And so you're like watching some ball and then you're typing and then you're watching the ball and then you're typing and I just happened to have my head down writing my story would show, hey, melted one, I guess the first instinct is, is it fair?

I mean, it was almost over the foul pole.

Oh, Tony home runs, stay fair because they're hit so hard.

So the ball just simply has less time to curl to the right side of the right field foul pole.

And so you kind of knew it was gone, Otani points at his dugout.

Was he pointing out Michael Kopek?

Like that's for you.

Was it more of like that's for you, the team that's for you, the fans, I want these answers.

Uh But Otani home run poses and can't take it for granted.

Uh I'll can't wait to tell my grandkids that I I missed it all.

So game four, Jose Quintana who has been the best pitcher on planet Earth over the last two months.

Only kind of kidding.

Not really.

Uh, he's going up against Yoshinobu Yamamoto.

That's gonna be a hilarious juxtaposition you two bits.

Very excited to watch that one.

Uh What are we looking for?

Uh, now?

Well, one, I mean, if we do have the same conditions, I mean, what's that Yamamoto splitter look at like, I mean, what is Yamamoto's stuff after?

How good he looked in game five.

How deep can he go?

Can Quintana as a lefty, right?

I mean, with, with how the success the man had, can Quintana kind of replicate that he's not as funky as, as mania is.

So it's possible that his stuff just isn't good enough and the Dodgers hit a bunch of Homers, but I think that the matchup there is still probably a little bit better.

I am genuinely just excited to watch shhe play another postseason game in person.

It's one of those moments where you just feel so lucky, like you just feel so lucky that I get to see this and witness this and watch this and enjoy this and analyze this and think about this and have it be my life for a time and a moment in it.

I feel very humbled by that.

And so I can't wait to watch Otani again.