NEW YORK — Home runs sent Shohei Ohtani across home plate twice on Thursday.
Each time, the Dodgers slugger greeted fellow superstar Mookie Betts with the most common phrase in professional baseball: “Let’s go.”
In the first inning, Ohtani uttered the words matter of factly, as encouragement, as a plan of attack. Moments earlier, Los Angeles’ leadoff man had started NLCS Game 4 with aplomb, incinerating the second pitch he saw into the Mets’ bullpen for a 117.9 mph home run, the third-hardest hit playoff home run ever tracked. Citi Field watched in cold silence as the Dodgers, already up 2-1 in the series, jumped out to an early lead.