The September Crucible at Busch Stadium
The tension of late-season baseball has arrived in St. Louis. As the Los Angeles Dodgers roll into town for a crucial series, the Cardinals find themselves staring down the ultimate baseball puzzle: how to stop Shohei Ohtani.
Ohtani is in the midst of a historic offensive season, putting up MVP-caliber numbers as a full-time designated hitter. For Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol, the game plan cannot simply be about hoping for the best. It requires a calculated, pitch-by-pitch strategy to prevent the superstar from taking over the series single-handedly. The margin for error is zero. One mistake, and the game is over.
Sonny Gray’s Opening Blueprint
The responsibility of setting the tone falls on veteran right-hander Sonny Gray. Gray has been the anchor of the Cardinals’ rotation, and his mix of high-spin sweepers and front-door two-seamers will be critical in the opener. To get Ohtani out, Gray has to establish the inner half of the plate.
Left-handed hitters often struggle when pitchers can run two-seam fastballs in on their hands, but executing that pitch against Ohtani is easier said than done. If Gray misses over the middle, the ball is going into the deep seats. “You have to change eye levels,” says pitching coach Dusty Blake. “He covers so much of the plate. If you feed him a steady diet of anything, he adjusts faster than anyone in the league.”
- Establish the fastball early: Keep Ohtani from sitting on breaking pitches.
- Vary the timing: Use different slide steps and pauses to disrupt his rhythm.
- Protect the edges: Do not give him anything to drive in hitters’ counts.
The Late-Inning Chess Match
If Gray can get through the lineup twice, the game then shifts to the bullpens. This is where Marmol will have to pull the right strings. Left-handed reliever JoJo Romero is the most likely candidate to face Ohtani in a high-leverage late-inning situation. Romero’s changeup has been a weapon against lefties all year, offering a stark contrast to Gray’s high-velocity look.
And if the game stays close into the ninth, Ryan Helsley will be waiting. The Cardinals’ closer throws over 100 mph, but even velocity requires location against Ohtani. It will be strength against strength, a matchup that could decide the Cardinals’ playoff fate. Helsley knows the challenge. He has to pitch with conviction and avoid the temptation to nibble around the strike zone.
The Danger of the Supporting Cast
Focusing entirely on Ohtani is a trap the Cardinals cannot afford to fall into. The Dodgers’ lineup is not a one-man show. With Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman hitting around him, walking Ohtani often just sets the table for another future Hall of Famer. The Cardinals’ pitchers must stay aggressive against the bottom of the Los Angeles order to ensure that when they do face the big three, the bases are empty.
The margins are razor-thin. One bad pitch can ruin a night of perfect execution. But for a Cardinals team fighting to stay alive in the National League postseason race, this is the environment they wanted. To be the best, you have to beat the best, and it all starts with keeping number 17 in check.
