The Dodgers scored once in the bottom of the ninth inning to pull to within two runs of the San Diego Padres, they had runners on first and second with no outs and Miguel Rojas up, and in the on-deck circle was Shohei Ohtani, who had hit .778 (14 for 18) with five home runs, two doubles and 13 RBIs in his previous four games.
The Padres, it seemed, would need an act of divine intervention to prevent baseball’s hottest hitter and presumptive National League most valuable player from imposing his will on Tuesday night’s game, and third baseman Manny Machado is convinced they got one from Peter Seidler, the beloved former Padres owner who died last November.