NL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES: METS VS DODGERS

October 17, 2024

Shohei Ohtani

Citi Field

Los Angeles Dodgers

Postgame 4 Press Conference

Dodgers - 10, Mets - 2

Q. You said a couple days ago here that you didn't think you were so much, like, chasing bad pitches as much as you were just missing pitches in the zone. Wondering the last couple of days here what did you do to kind of make sure you wouldn't miss that pitch today?

SHOHEI OHTANI: I haven't changed my approach in general. I've been able to kind of stick to the same approach that I have with the different situations. I might change a little bit here and there, but overall it's been the same approach.

Q. What have you kind of learned in the postseason, just kind of given a small sample size are kind of magnified. Couple days ago we were talking about your splits. And obviously today leading off the game with a home run?

SHOHEI OHTANI: The focus has been pretty much the same regardless of the situation if there's runners on or not -- kind of stick to the same plan, the same approach.

Q. You've seen how hard Mookie has kind of worked over the last couple of days. What has it been like to see the results here tonight?

SHOHEI OHTANI: It's been fun being able to see him perform really well, obviously being in the situation where I'm on base. So he looks really good and locked in. My job at that point is to make sure that I score on anything that Mookie really hits.

Q. You're one win away from the World Series. Is there any anticipation of that? What do you think about getting to that level and playing with other stars in the World Series?

SHOHEI OHTANI: I'm really just focused on playing a really good game tomorrow. Even though we're in an away situation, I just want to really focus on winning the game tomorrow and playing a really good game as a team.

Q. What do you think of the amount of people that are watching these games over in Japan?

SHOHEI OHTANI: I'm sure it's not easy for the people in Japan to be able to watch these games because of the time difference. But Yoshinobu pitched really well. We've been playing really well. And I hope to continue to perform well as well for the fans in Japan.

Q. When you hit that home run, I noticed you pointed back to the dugout. Did it have any meaning in particular? Was there anyone in particular you were pointing at? And I saw when you got back to the bench, Kiké came over and he seemed to be very animated. What was he saying to you there?

SHOHEI OHTANI: Freddie talked to me to make sure that I joined the party earlier than later. So I was able to do that this time in my first at-bat. So that was something that we talked about.

Q. How would you kind of describe your first MLB postseason now that you have a few games under your belt?

SHOHEI OHTANI: Simply put, I'm grateful to be in this environment, to be able to play in this playoff environment. Having experienced playing in an away environment, it's been fun being able to experience the passion of the fans. And I hope that I'll be able to perform well tomorrow.