Shohei Ohtani High-Fives Heckler After Dodgers' Comeback Rivalry Win vs. Padres

A heckler next to the Los Angeles Dodgers' dugout spent his entire Sunday giving an earful to the visitors, including a non-stop 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