Shohei Ohtani is feeling excitement, not nerves, on eve of his postseason debut with the Dodgers

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Shohei Ohtani is about to realize his childhood dream of playing in important games. There’s nothing bigger than the Major League Baseball playoffs.

And the Japanese superstar isn’t nervous.

“I think the excitement of that is greater than anything else that I could possibly feel,” he said Friday through an interpreter.

Ohtani is getting his first chance on the October playoff stage with the Los Angeles Dodgers, who open the National League Division Series on Saturday against the rival San Diego Padres. He spent the last six years with the Los Angeles Angels, who never had a winning record or made the postseason during his tenure.