National League Championship Game" The desperate Dodgers take action! Shohei Otani returns to the vanguard and the coach explains his considerations

Shohei Ohtani. (File photo, European News Agency)

[Sports Center/Comprehensive Report] In G4 of the National League Championship Series, the defending Dodgers, who fell into 0 wins and 3 losses, changed their lineup today, allowing Japanese superstar Shohei Ohtani to return to the vanguard and face Brewers starting left-hander Shane Drohan. Dodgers head coach Dave Roberts said in an interview before the game, "I think it does make sense to adjust the line a little bit to get the line back to where we have been all season long and the way the offense has been operating recently."

Shohei Ohtani was affected by injuries. He played in the first 6 games of this year's playoffs, with a total of 20 hits, and his batting average was only 0.150. However, Ohtani contributed 1 hit and 1 walk in G3 of the National League Championship Series. The 4 hits accumulated in the playoffs so far are all short hits.

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Shohei Ohtani will return to the first designated hitter in this game, and will once again form the "MVP connection" with Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman, while star catcher Will Smith will shoulder the fourth hitter.

Regarding letting Ohtani Shohei return to the first pitch, Robles pointed out, "I took into consideration the hard work he put in, staying at the stadium to practice until 9 pm the previous two nights, and his performance in the batter yesterday. For me, my decision is clear: let him serve as the first pitch."

Robles said, "I feel comfortable letting him play five seats today because I believe this will give us the best chance to win and score more points."

The Dodgers were suppressed by the Brewers' pitching staff in the National League Championship Series. They had only two long hits in the first three games, and their overall offensive index (OPS) so far in the playoffs is only 0.572.