NEW YORK – Shohei Ohtani perked up when he heard his name.

“I told him,” Dodgers backup catcher Austin Barnes said after Ohtani’s three-run moonshot iced an 8-0 victory over the Mets in Game 3 of the National League Championship Series, “to place the ball over the fence hit.”

“Not bad advice,” Ohtani said.

Barnes clapped his hands three times. “For example: 'Today, man, over the fence.'”

Ohtani beamed as he dressed to leave the stadium, two wins shy of the World Series.

“Good coaching,” Ohtani said.

For Ohtani the game is not that easy. But sometimes he can make it look like he did Wednesday in the eighth inning, hitting a ball that seemingly could have ended up in Flushing Bay if Citi Field's second deck hadn't been in the way.

The home run led a procession of Mets fans toward the exits, extending Ohtani's bizarre postseason split and easing the stress for manager Dave Roberts. The Dodgers arrived in Queens this week hoping to sneak through three straight games while using starters who haven't been capable of last deep in games. With one hit, Ohtani prolonged the lead and guarded the bullpen. Roberts didn't need to depend on heavily indebted replacements Evan Phillips and Daniel Hudson. With Yoshinobu Yamamoto starting Game 4, the team should consist of Phillips and Hudson in addition to Blake Treinen and Michael Kopech, who combined to pitch two scoreless innings on Wednesday.

“These things are important,” Roberts said.

This is Ohtani's first time within the postseason. He has competed under the microscope for many of his skilled profession, but never before has American audiences examined his striking techniques in such detail. He contributed two goals in a Game 1 win and appeared twice in a Game 2 loss. Yet he had made the sport seem really easy in the ultimate months of the season – each time he saw a pitch he hit it with great force – that each out he made gave the impression of a harbinger of an extended crisis.

Roberts suggested that Ohtani swung too often on balls outside the strike zone. He looked lost against Mets starter Sean Mananea in Game 2. On Tuesday, before the Dodgers practiced at Citi Field, Ohtani deflected questions on his confidence and approach. He didn't think he would wither within the glow of the postseason. He didn't think he was in the course of a terrible phase.

“I feel good at the plate,” Ohtani said through his interpreter, Will Ireton. “I feel like I can remember the times when I felt good and maybe incorporate that.”

Part of the priority stemmed from an odd inequality in its divisions. Ohtani didn't get a success in 22 at-bats wherein nobody was on base, but he still had seven hits in nine at-bats with runners on board. The difference might matter less to most hitters, but Ohtani leads the Dodgers lineup. Using his legs, he stole 59 bases through the regular season. He didn't steal anything in October.

Ohtani insisted on Tuesday that this transient lull in his performance wouldn’t change his intentions as a batsman. “No matter how they attack me, my plan is to stick to the same approach as much as possible and not focus too much on how they attack me,” he said.

Ohtani kept that promise in Game 3. He landed on the primary pitch he saw, a 95 mph fastball from Mets starter Luis Severino. Two innings later, when Severino couldn't find the zone, Ohtani drew a walk. In the sixth, Ohtani was flailing after Kiké Hernández's two-run home run when Mets reliever Reed Garrett's 0-2 cutter landed toward his cleats.

All of those attacks occurred while the bases were empty. Ohtani's fourth wasn't the case. He followed Will Smith's walk and a two-out single from Hernández. Mets reliever Tylor Megill attempted an 0-1 cutter for an inside hit. Ohtani pushed the ball into right field. A collective gasp overwhelmed the 43,883 fans within the stadium. The stats don't do the homer justice: 115.9 mph right off the bat, with an estimated distance of 397 feet. The ball landed near the post, close enough to warrant a replay.

“I don’t know how you could even turn that around,” said third baseman Max Muncy, who reached base in five plate appearances and added a solo shot within the ninth. “The ball was 100 feet above the foul pole. The foul pole isn’t high enough for that.”

The home run modified the calculus for Robert's final game. He had used Treinen, certainly one of his backup aces, to face the underside of the Mets lineup in Game 7. As the eighth inning began, with the Dodgers leading by 4, Hudson loosened up within the bullpen. If the result remained the identical, Treinen would return for the eighth time. If the Dodgers added a run, Hudson would pitch. Add three runs? This allowed Roberts to send rookie Ben Casparius out for the ultimate two innings. “The more runs we score, the easier it gets,” Treinen said.

The bullpen must be near full strength for Game 4. The Dodgers are attempting to get through this series without Mets sluggers Francisco Lindor, Mark Vientos and Pete Alonso repeatedly facing the identical replacements. So far, Roberts has had success. “The more we can hide the guys and keep them from going in, that's probably ideal,” Hudson said.

Ohtani left the stadium without talking to reporters. He didn't have to say much. “It was important,” said Roberts, “that Shohei built up some confidence.” His team is ahead. His swing silenced a ballpark and saved his bullpen. A reminder was also offered. Even amid this relative decline in his scoring output, Ohtani can encourage awe. That's not shocking, in fact.

Red Sox

The Red Sox could have missed the playoffs the last three seasons, but during that very same period one in all their former sluggers was working hard to make an impact in October.

Kyle Schwarber played only half a season for the Red Sox in 2021 after acquiring him on the trade deadline, but Boston probably wishes it had kept the outfielder longer. Schwarber is quietly constructing his resume as top-of-the-line playoff hitters of the twenty first century, if not MLB history.

The current Philadelphia Phillies slugger hit a leadoff home run on Saturday that had a major impact on the record books. The long ball marked Schwarber's twenty first home run of the season. Fourth all-time behind Manny Ramirez (29), Jose Altuve (27) and Bernie Williams (22). It was also Schwarber's twelfth game with the Phillies, a brand new franchise record.

Unfortunately for Schwarber and Philadelphia, that home run was for nothing. The Phillies offense faltered the remainder of the sport and lost 6-2 to the New York Mets.

Still, Schwarber's individual postseason success provides a stark contrast to Boston's lack of success over the past three seasons. Schwarber's Phillies made the playoffs in each of his three seasons there. They earned a World Series appearance in 2022, lost within the NLCS in 2023 and are the No. 2 seed within the National League this season.

Schwarber then looked as if it would add much more oomph to his punches when it mattered most. He hit three home runs within the 2022 Series and a whopping five long balls within the 2023 NLCS.

Even though Schwarber only made one postseason trip in a Red Sox uniform, he still proved his postseason value by hitting three home runs for Boston within the 2021 playoffs.

The Red Sox, led by Chaim Bloom on the time, attempted to re-sign Schwarber after the 2021 season, but Bloom explained this on the time his contract had “reached a level that no longer made sense.”

Let's have a look at 2024: Schwarber has exhausted three of the 4 years of his $79 million contract. And it seems price every penny for Philadelphia.

The Athletic reports on it live MLB Wild Card Series.

The postseason begins with no clear favorite as MLB ended the regular season with out a 100-game winner for the primary time since 2014. Every team seemingly has a path to a title, and each team also seems to have a flaw as big as Death Star. So who will take home the trophy at the top of the playoff marathon? Our human resources experts share their predictions:

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Andy McCullough (Houston): They have the perfect starting rotation. They have a championship core. That's what the Astros do.

Will Sammon (Philadelphia): Their lineup stays as impressive as any. Their rotation includes enough starters that opposing teams don't need to see in a vital game. Oh, and additionally they created a bullpen stuffed with variety, depth, and talent.

Fabian Ardaya (Houston): I mean, they've gotten it so far. And once the Astros get included within the dance, they have an inclination to go far.

C Trent Rosecrans (Cleveland): They don't have the most well liked team, but they only do every part right. They are death by a thousand paper cuts. They are a team that doesn't make big mistakes, but forces their opponents to achieve this.

Eno Sarris (San Diego): Excellent starters, a handful of great backup players, a lineup that not only makes contact but does so with power: All of that makes the Padres fun.

Andrew Baggarly (Philadelphia): My gut feeling wants me to select the Padres because they’ve dominant starters, a deep and mean bullpen, and a star-studded lineup. But the Phillies have all of that and possibly more — plus the perfect home-field advantage in the foremost leagues. Ring the bell.

Jen McCaffrey (Philadelphia): They are deep and experienced. It looks like it's their 12 months to finally get all of it together.

Keith Law (Philadelphia): They are nearly fully healthy and have quality hitters and pitchers who will make a difference within the limited postseason schedule.

Stephen J. Nesbitt (Philadelphia): There isn’t any perfect team this postseason. But the Phillies come closer than anyone else. They have a well-rounded lineup, a rotation led by Cy Young candidate Zack Wheeler, and a bullpen with a number of the sickest stuff in the game. They are capable of get on board quickly and hold on.

Sam Blum (Cleveland): Bullpens win games within the playoffs. And there's no higher bullpen than Cleveland's.

Chad Jennings (Philadelphia): If the Phillies aren't going to win, what’s their fatal flaw? For the Dodgers, it's their crazy rotation. For the Yankees, it's a skinny bullpen and an uncertain bottom-place finish. For the Astros, injuries have weakened their outfield and robbed them of several starting pitchers. But the Phillies don’t have any obvious weakness. Their pitching staff contains a legitimate ace, a four-deep rotation, and an elite bullpen. Their lineup can run from top to bottom, hit home runs, and rating in a wide range of ways. Manager Rob Thomson is a battle-tested veteran with a gradual hand.

They have been close the last two seasons. This is the 12 months they win all of it.

Chandler Rome (San Diego): The Padres are probably the most complete team in sports.

Zack Meisel (San Diego): AJ Preller's crazy actions and actions are finally paying off. The Padres have the pitching and barely enough offense to get it done.

Kaitlyn McGrath (Philadelphia): At one point this season, it looked just like the Phillies would have the perfect record in baseball. That didn't occur, but despite their inconsistent play, there was never any serious doubt that the Phillies wouldn't make it. The Phillies have been a significant presence within the postseason for just a few years now and it looks like it's finally time for Bryce Harper to guide all of them the best way.

David O'Brien (Philadelphia): It's their time, as almost the identical group of veterans have had multiple runs together on this thing.

Sahadev Sharma (San Diego): They appear to be probably the most balanced team. The defense isn't great, but the remainder is well above average.

Patrick Mooney (Philadelphia): A star-studded squad for the postseason.

Noah Furtado (Los Angeles): You have Shohei Ohtani.

Red Sox

For the fifth time within the last six years, the Red Sox will watch baseball games from home in October.

The Red Sox's quest for the 2024 postseason ended Wednesday night when Boston lost 6-1 to the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre. This is the third consecutive 12 months the Red Sox have didn’t qualify for the postseason.

Wednesday's result was anything but surprising, as Boston entered the evening 3.5 games behind the Royals and Tigers, securing the third and final wild card spot within the American League.

Boston could only secure a playoff spot by winning its final 4 games – the Royals lost 4 of 5, the Twins three of 5 and the Mariners lost one in all their final 4 games.

Given the Red Sox's weakness within the second half of the sport, the percentages haven’t been in Boston's favor for weeks.

Boston entered the All-Star break with a 53-42 record, but quickly lost momentum, losing seven of their first nine games after the break. Overall, the Red Sox have posted a 27-37 record since mid-July, killing any probability of Fenway Park keeping its doors open in October.

Although Boston's farm system made significant progress this summer, ends in the main leagues left much to be desired.

In conversation with Alex Speier from Before Wednesday's game, Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow acknowledged that any promising progress the organization had made could be undone by the tip of one other season in September.

“We play these games to get to the postseason and win the World Series. And if we don't do that, that would be a disappointment. I want it to be a disappointment. I want it to hurt,” Breslow said. “That doesn't mean we can't find things that we've done well or things that are encouraging or give cause for optimism, but at the end of the day, you play these seasons to win games and get to the postseason. We may be facing a season where that didn't happen.”

The Red Sox only have three games left on their schedule: From Friday to Sunday, Boston will host the Rays at Fenway Park.

After five months of slow and regular progress, baseball will now shift into fast and wild mode. It's almost September, which suggests the annual sprint to the postseason will soon begin.

Unless it has already happened and we missed it.

The bookmakers at FanGraphs appear to consider that the playoff situation is pretty much as good as already decided.

Before Thursday's game, FanGraphs had six teams within the American League with over a 74 percent probability of creating the playoffs and just one other with a 20 percent probability. In the National League, the situation is even clearer: Five teams have at the very least a 90 percent probability, yet another is just below 75 percent, and the one other serious contender has a 25.3 percent probability.

All other NL teams have single-digit playoff possibilities. That wasn't the case on August 1. At the beginning of the day, 19 different teams had at the very least an 11 percent probability of creating the playoffs, and a twentieth team – the defending champion Texas Rangers – had a 9.4 percent probability.

It seems that the variety of playoff participants depends more on what happened within the last five weeks than on what happens in the subsequent five weeks.

There are still tight division races within the AL East and AL Central – and arguably the NL West – but those races are between teams which have a wildcard advantage and don't necessarily need a division title to play in October.

The New York Yankees (99.4 percent probability of creating the playoffs), Baltimore Orioles (97.8 percent) and Cleveland Guardians (92.5 percent) are all but certain candidates for the postseason within the American League, while the Houston Astros (90.3 percent) and Minnesota Twins (87.7 percent) are statistically secure bets. The Kansas City Royals currently hold the ultimate wild-card spot with a 75.1 percent probability of keeping it.

Otherwise, the Boston Red Sox (39.1 percent) are the one other team really within the running. The Seattle Mariners are right down to 12.6 percent and the Tampa Bay Rays – who made some noise in July – are right down to a 4 percent probability.

In the National League, the Los Angeles Dodgers (one hundred pc), the Philadelphia Phillies (99.5 percent) and the Milwaukee Brewers (99.3 percent) have all but secured a spot within the postseason, while the red-hot San Diego Padres (95.1 percent) and the Arizona Diamondbacks (92 percent) have catapulted themselves into good positions to hitch them.

Preseason favorites the Atlanta Braves have been decimated by injuries, but even they’ve a robust 74.6 percent probability of clinching the ultimate wild-card spot. The only team that may seriously chase the Braves is the New York Mets, whose playoff possibilities have dropped to 25.5 percent after rising to only over 50 percent in late July. No other NL team has double-digit playoff possibilities, with only the San Francisco Giants (7 percent) having a probability above 3 percent.

That clarity actually only began with the All-Star break. The best teams in baseball because the break are the Diamondbacks (23-8), Padres (22-7), Dodgers (20-11), Royals (19-11), Astros (18-12) and Brewers (18-11), and people six have shifted the balance by every playoff spot that was still nearly tied.

The Astros have pulled well clear of the Mariners within the AL West. They were just one game apart at halftime, however the Mariners have been languishing for weeks and, despite making some significant additions, still have a negative record after the trade deadline (the stagnant Oakland A's surpassed them in August).

In the AL wild-card race, one spot has long been all but certain (the second-place team within the East will undoubtedly be a wild card), however the Royals and Twins have taken control of the opposite two. They are tied, 3 1/2 games ahead of the Red Sox, and at the very least six games ahead of everyone else. It's not an insurmountable lead, but here's a Red Sox blog that calculates what the Red Sox would need to do to shut that gap.

The Twins currently have a 90/91 win rate. To get to 92, they should go 25-11.

Assuming they’re 5:5 against AZ/BAL/NYY, they need to play 20:6 against the opposite teams.

They really want to win 10-2 or something like that in the subsequent set to make it work. https://t.co/xnh14lOalA

— Chris Hatfield (@SPChrisHatfield) 22.08.2024

In the National League, the Brewers have separated themselves from the remainder of the Central League. On July 13 – the weekend before the All-Star Game – the Cardinals were just 3 1/2 games out of first place and each team within the division had at the very least an 8 percent probability of creating the playoffs. The Brewers are actually the one team within the division with a record above .500 and not one of the other teams have even a 3 percent probability of playing in October.

In the NL West, the Giants have been higher than most because the break (18-14), but they’ve not been in a position to sustain with the charging Padres and Diamondbacks, who could have caught the heavily favored Dodgers had the Dodgers not also been on a roll. One team will win the West, and the opposite two will likely be clear favorites as wildcards. FanGraphs puts the Padres and Diamondbacks' playoff possibilities on par with the Guardians, who’re one among baseball's best teams with an unmatched vibe.

With the Phillies controlling the NL East, the one other National League spot left up for grabs is the ultimate wild card, currently held by the storming Braves, who just added Austin Riley to an injury list that already includes Spencer Strider, Ronald Acuna Jr. and Ozzie Albies. If the Mets get going — as they did in July — they may close the gap and make a serious try to unseat the preseason favorites for a playoff spot.

The Red Sox could also get going and knock off one among the AL Central favorites and sneak into the playoffs. It's not like there's nothing to win in the subsequent five weeks.

But when all is claimed and done and the playoff field is ready, we may find that the true sprint to October was over before the calendar even turned to September.

John Sterling could come out of retirement to commentate on the New York Yankees' postseason, in line with sources briefed to WFAN on the Yankees and Sterling's plans.

Earlier this season in April, 86-year-old Sterling retired from the team after 36 years. The Yankees held a farewell ceremony for him. A trio of Rickie Ricardo, Justin Shackil and Emmanuel Berbari replaced him.

This week, Sterling made a transient appearance within the Yankees' locker room, joining analyst Suzyn Waldman on stage as a commentator for several innings.

He is anticipated to seek advice from Chris Oliviero, president of Audacy New York, in the following few days whether he’ll return for the playoffs, in line with an individual briefed on the plans. Oliviero, who runs WFAN, has not yet officially asked Sterling.

“The ball is in their court,” Sterling said. “You'd have to ask. I'd feel sorry for the guys who have been at the games all year.”

Oliviero declined to comment.

While it's possible that WFAN and the Yankees could get Sterling to play in home playoff games, early indications from people briefed on the talks suggest he would must commit to all home and away playoff games. Travel was a serious reason Sterling resigned in April. He said by phone Thursday that the playoff scheduling makes that aspect easier.

When he returns, Sterling could commentate on a number of regular season games in preparation.

Regardless of whether he returns in October or not, Sterling is anticipated to retire after the season.

The Yankees and WFAN would then consider Ricardo, Shackil and Berbari for the job while conducting a nationwide search.

Recently, WFAN and the Yankees asked FS1 “Breakfast Ball” co-host Craig Carton to commentate on some games. Although Carton will not be a full-time candidate, team and radio officials liked what they heard and would invite him back. That likely won't occur this season, as Carton's “Breakfast Ball” responsibilities kick into high gear in September.

Required reading

Red Sox

COMMENT

About a month ago, Craig Breslow told The Athletic that “every time we step onto the field, we will learn something new.” This is much from probably the most insightful quote within the history of the Republic, but for me there’s something in its simplicity.

Simplicity with depth, as is obvious when attempting to answer the query “what did you learn about the Red Sox at Dodger Stadium over the weekend?” As with most things, an individual's answer is a robust reflection of what they thought beforehand.

In the fashionable baseball world, where anyone can consider themselves a contender, that is more true than ever.

Boston held on to the nine-headed baseball monster for nearly three days, a notion that seemed unlikely back within the winter after we were agonizing over them not signing. (He wintered here! Remember?)

In fact, it could have seemed improbable in the times before Breslow's above words, as his team stayed at .500 for 3 weeks until it shined in that home game against the Phillies and Yankees. We're still within the afterglow of that speech, the message that the Red Sox did nothing to undermine their place within the race against Los Angeles.

They were ahead within the eighth inning on Friday, within the ninth (with their closer on the mound!) and tenth inning on Saturday, and went from one run to a tie on Sunday. That none of those wins changed into victories may be very uncharacteristic of them; they hadn't been defeated in a three-game set since early April.

“I feel like we played hard every single game. A ball drops here, a ball drops there. It's baseball. Things just went in their favor,” Jarren Duran told reporters after one other electrifying weekend – 6 for 12, 3 doubles, 2 home runs, 2 walks and 5 runs scored. “We fought in all three games, including today. We were behind and scored some runs late. It's just a testament to our team and that we always like to fight.”

Unfortunately, there isn’t any “Vibes” column within the standings (yet), so the the explanation why these games weren’t won should be examined. Bullpen concerns were actually justified after Nick Pivetta threw six scoreless innings on Friday and Brayan Bello got off to a superb start Saturday, throwing just 82 pitches – six innings, three runs. Neither won since the bullpen collapsed in each, each in the highest half – Kenley Jansen, who allowed three more runs on Sunday – and the opposite half, which is under much more pressure without Chris Martin and Justin Slaten.

Less direct? The offense looked bad again against left-handers; 11 for 56, noted Alex Speier of the GlobeThe Sox's strikeout rate against left-handers is 30 percent, the worst within the MLB.

That meant that each one the deadlines had passed without delay, and now we’re eight days away from the deadline, and we must desperately keep in mind that not each day between now and July 30 must be dedicated to a referendum on what to do.

Listen to none aside from Breslow, who has said so much since then, but delivered the essential message in the identical interview in June.

“I think we can all see the reasons for optimism. How that plays out over the next five or six weeks remains to be seen. But I think regardless, it's an exciting time to be in this organization. I think it's an exciting time to be a fan of the organization,” he said.

“We will learn more, be realistic and also decisive.”

Determination is motion. The only individuals who would see the events in Los Angeles as a reason to deviate from the suitable path are those that have never deviated from the suitable path.

Montgomery? The guy who didn’t need to play in Boston because he “desired to win“? He went to Arizona this winter, which lost 9 of 11 games at the tip of July last summer and still 4 deadline movementswith Tommy Pham and Paul Sewald becoming a part of their World Series run. (History will tell how much that may cost.)

As strange as it could sound, eight days means the market remains to be within the consolidation phase. (Last 12 months, the overwhelming majority of moves occurred within the last 72 hours.) As of Monday morning, 22 of the 30 teams were inside 4.5 games of a playoff spot, including all but two within the National League.

Suffice it to say that it can once more be a seller's market, filled with buyers with each sensible and silly arguments. Determination is the watchword.

The Red Sox have been around for a very long time. There's no have to mourn the old days for the millionth time, but we're well past the purpose where smart baseball people have to be convinced that these Red Sox have a path to late-season baseball.

The foremost reason Craig Breslow's predecessor was fired was an absence of resolve. A fickle attitude whose rare moments of resolve – Christian Vázquez for Wilyer Abreu and Enmanuel Valdez, anyone? – paid off. (Yes, we excuse the Mookie Betts trade because I don't think it turned things around.)

Breslow knows this. Like all smart people, he knows greater than he lets on. And in per week we are going to see what this data will bring.