In the bedlam following each Los Angeles Dodgers victory, the stadium sound system blares out a version of Randy Newman’s catchy, “I Love L.A.,” to the singalong delight of the Chavez Ravine faithful.
With a commanding 2-0 lead over the the New York Yankees in the World Series, that sentiment is on high as the best-of-seven showdown shifts to the Bronx for Monday’s Game 3.
And the feeling resonates especially true for those players who have made Hollywood their baseball home.
Most notable among this group, of course, is Japanese superstar Shohei Ohtani whose admiration of the Dodgers (and subsequent courtship) helped land him the richest contract in the sport’s history while fast-tracking him to the grandest stage he’s now reached.
Hindsight strongly suggests that Ohtani, who suffered a shoulder injury in Saturday’s 4-2 Game 2 win, was never going anywhere but L.A. Oh, I’m sure there was some minor level of sincerity in the generational talent’s flirtation with the Blue Jays, but 10 months removed it sure looks more like it was merely a savvy way for the generational talent and his camp to extract more from the Dodgers.
Shohei Ohtani loves L.A. and L.A. loves him right back.
As intriguing as this Fall Classic matchup is, a snapshot of the World Series combatants only accentuates all that has slipped away from the Jays.
The FOX graphics have been flashing like a Hollywood marquee throughout — the Yankees Aaron Judge and his 58 homers vs. Ohtani and his 54, the two most in MLB. And given all the electrifying long ball blasts these playoffs, that storyline further mystifies the dismissive comments from Jays GM Ross Atkins that home runs are “long hanging fruit” as an offensive fix.
Then there is the Dodgers Teoscar Hernandez, the big bat that not only got away from the Jays but was dealt away for a modest return of reliever Erik Swanson and still minor leaguer Adam Macko. As demoralizing (and franchise-altering) as missing out on Ohtani was at the time, the Hernandez success two years removed is a true rub the fan’s noses in the sand vignette of the franchise’s offensive woes.
Atkins has repeatedly made it clear that a power bat is of minimal value to him, infuriating to Jays fans who see Hernandez produce as the No. 3 hitter in one of the best lineups in baseball and repeatedly bang out key home runs in big spots as he did with the two-run blast on Saturday.
For punctuation, remember that the last act in a Toronto uniform for Hernandez was to belt two home runs in a playoff game, that awful collapse to the Mariners at the Rogers Centre two autumns ago.
Switching over to the Yankees, the performance of Juan Soto throughout 2024 is another damning blow to the Jays meek off-season of a year ago. While there was some talk that Soto was a trade candidate for the Jays, that was never going to happen either.
A year ago, the Yankees were a non-playoff team and tackled the off-season in a manner that wisely aggressive front offices do: Spend boldly and correctly. They may not be the Dodgers yet, but they are AL East and American League champions.
Acknowledging that things can change swiftly in baseball, the Jays still feel like a last-place team with a ton of work to do first to climb out of the basement and become a wildcard team, never mind a division winner.
Back to Ohtani: In an interview with FOX’s Kevin Burkhardt prior to Game 1, the Dodgers DH was clear about what he loved most about L.A. He loves living there, sure, after being a member of the feckless, perennial non-playoff Angels. But more importantly, he loves the idea of winning and in the Dodgers saw an organization willing to build a sustained dynasty, a franchise that now has won the NL West 11 of the past 12 seasons.
Could Ohtani make the same assessment with the Jays? His own handicapping would have suggested no and 10 months since he signed his $700 million US deal have proven the point. The Jays have regressed starkly in both performance and roster talent. In fact, it’s difficult to imagine a more precipitous fall from shopping in the Ohtani stratosphere to “landing” Justin Turner, Kevin Kiermaier, Isiah Kiner-Falefa and for poops and giggles, Daniel Vogelbach.
Now another critical off-season awaits for Atkins and team president Mark Shapiro, who presumably still have plenty of Rogers loot at their disposal. It will arrive with the extra burden that future free agents and their representatives may approach the process the same way as Ohtani did. If a player values winning as much as cash, the sell becomes a tougher one.
Whatever begins to unfold after the World Series wraps up by next weekend, the Jays front office is truly on the clock facing what could be its most challenging off-season yet. For a franchise that recently seemed so close to going next level – as the hashtag wished – the bright lights of the NY-L.A. showdown feel as far away as they’ve ever been.