In a thrilling playoff encounter, Shohei Ohtani stepped up to the plate during his second at-bat, smashing a three-run homer that helped the Dodgers tie the game at 3-3 against the Padres, as captured by the Associated Press.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto experienced his first taste of postseason baseball in Major League Baseball, reminiscent of his debut during the regular season. Facing the Padres in the Division Series, Yamamoto pitched three innings, allowing five runs, including a two-run homer from Manny Machado. This performance prompted Japanese media to recall his rough outing against the Padres in Seoul, describing it as a “nightmare from South Korea” revisited.

Initially, the Dodgers had planned for Jack Flaherty to start, but with flexibility needed for Game 5, they switched to Yamamoto just two days before the series commenced. This game marked Yamamoto’s debut in the MLB playoffs.

In the first inning, Yamamoto gave up a hit to Luis Arraez, and after a passed ball and a walk, Arraez reached third base. Following another walk to Fernando Tatis Jr., Jurickson Profar’s ground ball brought in the first run. With a 1-2 count, Machado locked on to a 92.3 mph changeup, hitting a 398-foot two-run homer to give the Padres a commanding 3-0 lead.

Yamamoto showed signs of recovery in the second inning, retiring three batters in a row, including his first strikeout against Arraez. However, after Ohtani’s home run tied the game in the bottom of the second, Yamamoto found himself in trouble again in the third.

The Padres opened the third inning with a double from Tatis. After one out, Yamamoto faced Machado again, but was relieved when Machado’s fly ball only made it 344 feet into the outfield, remaining in play. Yamamoto issued another walk, and Xander Bogaerts then hit a line drive to left that Teoscar Hernández couldn’t handle, allowing two runs to score with a double, giving the Padres a 5-3 lead.

Yamamoto did not pitch in the fourth inning, concluding his outing after three innings, throwing 60 pitches with 34 strikes, giving up five hits and five runs.

Ohtani, in his seventh season in the MLB, made his postseason debut and quickly made history by hitting his first playoff home run in the second inning of Game 1.