Shohei Ohtani high-fives a heckler after his homer to cap Dodgers’ comeback rivalry win over Padres

SAN DIEGO (AP) – A heckler next to the Los Angeles Dodgers’ dugout spent his entire Sunday giving an earful to the visitors, including a nonstop barrage of digs and chirps at Shohei Ohtani for his hitless performance in a portentous weekend series against the San Diego Padres.

When Ohtani crushed his 45th homer and delivered the knockout blow in the ninth inning of the Dodgers’ 8-2 victory, the normally decorous three-time MVP detoured on his way back to the dugout to slap hands – and get the last word – with the chagrined Padres fan.

The Dodgers loved to see it, along with just about everything else that transpired in the final four innings of a win that evened the NL West race yet again with 31 games left.

“It was very out of character from Shohei, (but the heckler) was wearing him out the whole game,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “So it was good to see Shohei initiate a high-five from him. That was great. That was fun. It was good to see Shohei show his personality.”

Ohtani didn’t speak to reporters afterward, but he didn’t need a loudmouth fan to tell him that he was 0 for 10 with two walks in the series before his 409-foot homer off Yuki Matsui.

His fellow Dodgers had already delivered by then, with rookie Dalton Rushing’s tiebreaking three-run shot in the seventh inning sandwiched between clutch homers in back-to-back innings by Freddie Freeman.

“I think he was just kind of talking to Shohei the whole game, so I’m glad Shohei was able to give him a little something else to cheer about,” Freeman said with a grin.

Freeman and the rest of the Dodgers heard plenty of yapping from the stands during the weekend in the latest chapter of what might currently be the liveliest rivalry in the sport. The noise intensified as Los Angeles lost the first two games while managing just five combined hits – but the defending champs still managed to head home smiling and even with the Padres at 74-57.

When asked if the rivalry is the best in baseball, Rushing replied: “I think so. I think it’s pretty safe to say. You see the atmosphere we play in, whether it’s here or in LA. I think it’s pretty special. There’s something to it. There’s a lot of superstars on the field, and it’s fun to play in these games.”

Both teams could find reasons to be optimistic after wrapping up the regular season matchups between two World Series contenders that have also met in three of the past five postseasons, with the Dodgers winning two of those matchups.

The Dodgers have already won the season series with San Diego 9-4, giving them the tiebreaker if the clubs are still even 31 games from now.

San Diego still took two of three on the weekend with phenomenal starting pitching from a club that already has a bullpen that could be the best in the majors – its poor performance Sunday notwithstanding, of course.

Jeremiah Estrada gave up a homer in his second consecutive game when Rushing connected, while Wandy Peralta and Matsui also surrendered late homers.

But Yu Darvish, Nestor Cortes and Nick Pivetta combined to allow just four hits and three runs by the Dodgers over 18 innings. In a short October series, the Padres are confident they’ve got the arms to match Ohtani, Freeman and the Dodgers’ powerful lineup.

“We couldn’t be more thrilled,” San Diego manager Mike Shildt said. “We’re playing outstanding baseball, so I don’t tend to get too caught up in today. Today we were disappointed. Didn’t happen for us. We couldn’t be more thrilled. We’re tied for our division lead and expect to go win it.”

The division race means something to both teams – and not just because they’d both prefer not to play a perilous wild card playoff series in early October.

The Dodgers have won 11 of the last 12 NL West titles, while the Padres haven’t won the division since 2006. San Diego is closing in on its fourth playoff berth in six seasons during the longest run of sustained success in team history.

While the rivals won’t meet again in the regular season, both teams acknowledge they’ll be watching what the other does down the stretch.

“We’re going to treat the next however many games until the regular season is over like we’re neck-and-neck with them,” Rushing said. “Whether we’re tied in the division or we’re eight games out, we’re going to treat it like it’s the same, and I think it’s a good thing. You hold a competitive edge finishing out the regular season, and that’s what you kind of carry into the postseason.”