Ohtani swaggered into the 50-50 club in Miami on Sept. 19, when he smacked three home runs (his 49th, 50th, and 51st), stole two bases (50 and 51), and finished 6 for 6 with 10 RBI in a 20-4 rout over the Marlins. Kasten was watching from home. He giggled with joy.

Shohei Ohtani sat behind a small table and waited. Across the center field plaza at Dodger Stadium, a horde of media listened for the signal. Once it came, the stampede was on. Reporters and photographers ran,

Hundreds of writers, TV people and cameramen covering World Series workout day, maybe more than a thousand, waited at the edge of Dodger Stadium’s center field plaza for someone in MLB to wave everyone in.