LOS ANGELES (AP) — Shohei Ohtani got what he came for when he decided to sign with the Los Angeles Dodgers: a trip to the World Series.

“I really feel like we've finally arrived. I’ve finally gotten to this point,” Ohtani said afterwards through a translator Sunday night's 10-5 win over the New York Mets ended the NL Championship Series in six games.

Ohtani batted .364 with two home runs, six RBIs, nine walks and a 1.184 OPS against the Mets, including two hits and an RBI in Game 6. He hit .286 with three home runs and 10 RBIs over 11 games in his first postseason die World Series begins Friday against the New York Yankees.

When he signed his Record $700 million, 10-year contract last DecemberOhtani agreed to defer $68 million annually to give the team payroll flexibility. Among other things, the Dodgers signed pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto, traded him for pitcher Tyler Glasnow and signed outfielder Teoscar Hernández.

“The goal was to get this far,” Ohtani said, “and I also imagined that I would get this far with the contract I signed.”

This year I didn't pitch because he was recovering from that Elbow surgeryOhtani hit .310 with NL-bests 54 home runs and 130 RBIs along with 59 stolen bases, becoming the first 50-50 player. He will likely win his first NL MVP award after two AL MVPs.

“He’s the biggest baseball star in the world. Not just the game, the world,” said teammate Max Muncy. “He shows up every day, you expect him to do something incredible and he very rarely disappoints. He works hard, he's a great teammate. We loved having him in the clubhouse and being his teammate all year was an absolute pleasure.”

Ohtani is 18 for his last 23 RISP, going back to his 10-RBI game on September 19th when he became the first 50-50 player. He had an 0-for-22 stretch without a runner on base.

“I didn’t change anything special,” Ohtani said. “Of course I change my swing in certain situations. But as far as my approach goes, I've maintained my approach the whole time. I think part of that is because it’s a small sample size.”

___

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb