TORONTO — Shohei Ohtani is not a mythical figure, but rather a real, live human being who simply does remarkable things on the baseball field.
And the Toronto Blue Jays did not hesitate to ambush him in Game 7 of the World Series.
Pitching on three days’ rest for the first time in his career, Ohtani looked wobbly from the start, and then Bo Bichette applied a lightning-fast knockout blow: A first-pitch, three-run homer that electrified Rogers Centre, gave the Blue Jays a 3-0 lead and a massive edge in a call-to-arms Game 7.
It exited the bat at 110 mph, Rogers Centre reaching an ear-splitting noise level before Bichette’s first career postseason home run settled 442 feet away from home plate. The longtime Blue Jays cornerstone, hobbled by a knee injury that robbed him of the first two rounds of the playoffs, enjoyed the view, taking a few steps down the first base line before beginning his trot.
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