I didn't know you'd get so much revenge! Ohtani was also in a tight spot, thinking that the time of frustration and opportunity came when he was abandoned after hitting the WS bases-loaded gun
Aug 24, 2025
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It is not a pitcher who boasts a brilliant career or has a strong ball power that overwhelms batters with power, but attracts more attention. It's left-hander Nestor Cortes.
Ohtani was silent with no hits in four at-bats in the second game of the three consecutive away games against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park on the 24th (Korea time). The Dodgers lost 1-5, putting a serious brake on their move to take the NL West supremacy.
The starting pitcher for the San Diego Padres was Cortes. He is a left-handed veteran starter who moved from the Milwaukee Brewers during the trade deadline on the 1st. Cortes continued his 16th consecutive hit, or perfect pitching, until the sixth inning with one out. He pitched the brightest since joining the San Diego Padres with one hit, three strikeouts and no runs in six innings, achieving his first win in four games since his transfer.
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Ohtani, who took the leadoff, was driven by a ball count of 1B2S in his first at-bat in the top of the first inning, then misled his bat to an 80.9-mile sweeper that fell low outside the fourth pitch. The missed 89.5 miles of slow fastball in the middle of the third pitch in the previous three pitches was a chance to lose timing.
Ohtani, who also hit the leadoff batter in the fourth inning, hit Cortes' second pitch 88.4-mile cutter properly and pulled it to the right, but it was in front of the fielder. In the sixth inning, he was also a mis-hit in his third showdown with runners on first and second bases with two outs. In the ball count 1B1S, he hit an 89.9-mile fastball on the third pitch, but center fielder Ramon Lauriano moved slightly back and caught it.
With this, Ohtani continued his inferiority of 2 for 15 (0.133) in his career performance against Cortes. Including two postseason showdowns, he has two hits in 17 at-bats.
Cortes has a painful memory of taking the mound in the bottom of the 10th inning with one out and runners on the first and second bases with a 3-2 lead in the first game of the World Series when he was with the New York Yankees last year, catching Ohtani with a fly to left field, and then hitting a walk-off grand slam by Freddie Freeman with two outs. At the time, Ohtani caught it well with a 92.4 mile fastball, but he gave another left-handed giant Freeman a 109.8-mile, 413-foot grand slam. In the end, the Yankees, who gave up the first game, gave the Dodgers the championship with one win and four losses.
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Cortes moved to Milwaukee in a trade after the end of last year's season. The Yankees gave up Cortes to bring in Devin Williams. San Diego needed Cortes this season.
After the game, Cortes said of last year's World Series: `Obviously, history builds. Everyone is well aware of that last year. It's really annoying and painful to go through such a moment. But the good thing about baseball is that another opportunity comes. When the opportunity comes, I try to grab it as much as possible and save it. I did so today,' rejoiced.
San Diego, which won five consecutive games, including the first two games of the three consecutive games, marked 74 wins and 56 losses, beating the Dodgers (73 wins and 57 losses) by one game to become the sole leader in the district. It is the first time in 10 days that San Diego has taken the first place in the West since the 14th.
On the other hand, the Dodgers, who were leading by one game ahead of the three consecutive games, suffered consecutive losses due to the silence of their batters for two consecutive days. He has maintained an 8-4 advantage in his showdown with San Diego this season, but it is fatal to lose the last game of the season.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
