Shaikin: Blue Jays waited too long to walk Shohei Ohtani. Will it cost them a title?

The Blue Jays declined to intentionally walk Shohei Ohtani in the seventh inning, and Ohtani responded with a tying home run. After that swing, Toronto intentionally walked Ohtani four times in a row. The game extended to 18 innings, with the Dodgers ultimately prevailing. Ohtani reached base nine times, a postseason record, and recorded four extra-base hits in a World Series game. Toronto had removed George Springer and Bo Bichette and faced the dilemma of Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman on the lineup card. Seranthony Domínguez's split-season numbers versus right- and left-handed hitters informed the decision-making.

"For all the times the Toronto Blue Jays walked Shohei Ohtani, they lost Game 3 of the World Series because of the one time they did not walk him. They learned their lesson, four times over. Here's another Babe Ruth comparison: Ruth played in 41 World Series games. He was intentionally walked twice. On Monday, in one World Series game, Ohtani was intentionally walked four times."

"The situation called for it - no, begged for it - in the seventh inning. The Blue Jays led, 5-4, with one out and the bases empty. Ohtani already had batted three times, with two doubles and a home run. On a night they would eventually use four pinch-runners, they already had removed two of their four most potent bats in George Springer and Bo Bichette."

Read at Los Angeles Times