LOS ANGELES — Asked about the prospect of facing Shohei Ohtani during the superstar’s heater, Yu Darvish deflected on the eve of his first start of the postseason. He was preparing to face all nine Dodgers hitters, not just the greatest hitter on the planet. It was a sound strategy.

Shohei Ohtani unleashed a mighty swing and flung his bat just as ferociously. For a brief moment, before making his way up the first-base line to commemorate his two-out, game-tying three-run homer in Saturday's second inning,

Ohtani hit a three-run home run in the second inning, helping the Dodgers beat the Padres in Game 1 of the NLDS on the latest awe-inspiring night of a historic career.