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A clash of titans is bound to commence on October 4 as Shohei Ohtani's Dodgers battle Bryce Harper's Phillies in Game 1 of the National League Division Series in Philadelphia. As if the stakes couldn't get higher, skipper Dave Roberts named Ohtani as the starter opposite Philly's unsung ace Cristopher Sanchez who compiled a 13-5 record across 32 starts in the 2025 season.
With a raucous Philly crowd expected for the event, Phillies insider Todd Zolecki professed his desire that the fans would do their part to rattle the reigning NL MVP on his first-ever MLB postseason start. Zolecki tackled the topic on the most recent episode of The Phillies Show podcast and even recalled an incident back in the 2008 NLDS wherein the fans at Citizens Bank Park was successful in their quest in dislodging then-Brewers pitcher CC Sabathia's confidence.
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"Fans got under CC Sabathia's skin in 2008," Zolecki said. "You never know. We've seen it happen. I think that would just be a fun atmosphere ... Especially if they get on him early," he added. (18:40-19:00)
In Game 2 of the aforementioned 2008 contest, Sabathia surrendered five runs in just one inning to the Phillies amid a rowdy crowd. The hosts were then successful in winning the game, 5-2, and clinching the series in four games before winning it all in the Fall Classic.
Nevertheless, Zolecki stated that he just wants to see a reaction from Shohei Ohtani whether or not the pitcher is immune to such antics from opposing fans.
"I would just love to see Ohtani get in a little bit of trouble early in the game, just to kind of see the crowd reaction. I would love to see if they can Burt Hooton him a little bit. I feel like Ohtani is just like a robot, he's like a superhuman." (18:15-18:32)
Shohei Ohtani to make first postseason start in MLB
In all of the accolades and feats that Shohei Ohtani has accomplished in MLB, a postseason start on the mound still eludes him. Well, the task is about to become a reality as he was named as the starter for Saturday night's NLDS Game 1 clash in front of an expected rowdy Philadelphia crowd.
The unicorn's abilities will certainly be tested in a high tension environment as it has been almost a decade since he started in a playoff game. On October 22, 2016, Shohei Ohtani made his most recent start in the postseason when he was still a part of the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters in the NPB.
During the contest, Ohtani surrendered three runs in six innings and was the losing pitcher in Game 1 of that year's Japan Series. Fortunately enough, the Fighters would bounce back and claim the Japan Series title in six games over the Hiroshima Toyo Carp thanks in no small part to former Yankee and Astro Brandon Laird who was named the MVP of the series.
