Blue Jays likely to continue giving Ohtani the Aaron Judge treatment in World Series

"There's no denying that Shohei Ohtani is one of the most feared hitters in MLB history. The Blue Jays acknowledge his greatness by approaching him the same way they approached Yabkees star Aaron Judge this season, that they may need to continue. Walking Ohtani may not be the worst thing; Toronto did it against Judge in ALDS In the 2025 ALDS, the Blue Jays did something that most teams would do when facing Judge and the New York Yankees throughout the regular season. The Blue Jays would often walk Judge so he couldn't hit a home run. Walking Judge at times worked out in the end with the Blue Jays winning the ALDS over the Yankees in four games. However, the Blue Jays may need to do it even more with Ohtani moving forward. Ohtani went 4-for4 in Game 3, and reached base nine times."

"Ohtani began Game 3 with a ground rule double, then hit a home run off Max Scherzer in the fourth inning. With the Dodgers trailing 4-2 in the fifth inning, Ohtani hit an RBI double to cut the game to 4-3. The seventh inning is where Ohtani would've needed to be walked by the Blue Jays. With one out in the bottom of the seventh inning, the Blue Jays led 5-4. Instead of the Blue Jays walking Ohtani, he hit a solo home run to tie the game at five."

"The Blue Jays did walk Ohtani with one out in the bottom of the ninth in a 5-5 game. Ohtani tried to steal second base, but was thrown out due to being off the bag when the tag was applied. The Blue Jays walked Ohtani again with the bases empty and two outs in the bottom of the 11th inning, then did it again in the 13th inning with a runner on third base. Ohtani was then walked two more times afterward, once intentionally, once on four balls giving Ohtani the MLB playoff record for the"

Game 3 lasted 18 innings and ended when Freddie Freeman hit a walk-off home run in the bottom of the 18th, giving the Los Angeles Dodgers a 6-5 win. Game 4 is a must-win for the Toronto Blue Jays to avoid a 3-1 series deficit. Shohei Ohtani had a dominant Game 3, going 4-for-4 and reaching base nine times. The Blue Jays previously used intentional walks against Aaron Judge in the 2025 ALDS and may need a similar strategy with Ohtani. Ohtani delivered multiple extra-base hits, a homer off Max Scherzer, several walks including intentional passes, and an attempted steal that resulted in an out.

Read at Jays Journal