LOS ANGELES — When he mapped out how his team could survive a bullpen game in Game 2 of the NLCS, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts envisioned long reliever Landon Knack recording the most outs. He hoped Knack could eat up innings and serve as an early innings bridge to the Dodgers’ four high-leverage relievers.

Following the win, Fangraphs simulates that the Dodgers have a 77.6% chance of winning the LCS, up 15.8% from before Game 3. In a shutout win with so many runs scored and eight ru

Roberts is correct to find humor in the situation. Consider that during the regular season, Ohtani batted leadoff in 90 games and still produced the first 50-homer, 50-steal season in Major League Baseball history. Additionally, he finished the year with an identical 1.036 OPS in situations with the bases empty or a man on.