The Los Angeles Dodgers have their hitters locked in and ready for Game 7, but this time they made a small tweak to the batting order ahead of their matchup with the Toronto Blue Jays, mainly because Shohei Ohtani will be on the mound.
Even though Ohtani is pitching, the Dodgers still listed him at the top of the batting order as a designated hitter option in case they need his bat to do damage from the plate. Max Muncy also moves slightly up in the order, now hitting ahead of Teoscar Hernández.
It’s part of manager Dave Roberts’ strategy, one that’s hard to question, but Muncy is hitting just .125 in the World Series against Toronto, while Hernández owns a .269 average. It appears Roberts is managing the lineup to maximize matchups against Max Scherzer.
Dodgers’ confirmed batting order vs Blue Jays
Among all Dodgers hitters, Ohtani actually holds the best career average against Scherzer at .500, though he’ll be on the mound, and it’s unclear whether he’ll get a chance to bat. The next-best average belongs to Tommy Edman, who’s hitting .333 against the veteran Blue Jays pitcher.
| Player | Position |
| Shohei Ohtani | DH |
| Will Smith | C |
| Freddie Freeman | 1B |
| Mookie Betts | SS |
| Max Muncy | RF |
| Teoscar Hernandez | 3B |
| Tommy Edman | LF |
| Kiké Hernandez | CF |
| Miguel Rojas | 2B |
It’s clear the Dodgers need to strike early, just as they’ve done throughout the postseason. The faster they score, the easier it’ll be to throw Scherzer off his rhythm, and they’ll also need to wear him down by extending every at-bat as much as possible.
Among the Dodgers’ Game 7 lineup, the top RBI producers this postseason are Ohtani and Teoscar Hernández, combining for 26 runs driven in. That’s why Ohtani’s absence from the batter’s box could prove costly for Los Angeles.