Time for Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto to show their worth

NEW YORK —

This could be the night the Dodgers truly reap a return on investment.

Not in the gift shop. Not in advertising sales. Not in international tourism. That is all secondary to the product on the field.

The Dodgers lavished a billion dollars upon Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto for moments like these. If they win Thursday, with Yamamoto pitching and Ohtani sparking the offense, the Dodgers will be one victory from the World Series.

“If those two guys are going, it’s going to be tough,” Dodgers infielder Max Muncy said.

For the New York Mets, he meant, as if the Dodgers have not been tough enough on the Mets in this National League Championship Series. The series lead — 2-1, in favor of the Dodgers — does not feel nearly as imposing as the the series itself.

The Dodgers’ two wins: 9-0 in the opener, 8-0 on Wednesday. They lead all postseason teams in home runs, including a mammoth shot from Ohtani in his last at-bat Wednesday.

Ohtani took all the pressure off the Dodgers’ bullpen, turning a 4-0 lead into a 7-0 lead in the eighth inning, following a walk to Will Smith and a single by Kiké Hernández with an upper-deck home run.

“Runners packed the bases in that inning and created a good flow,” Ohtani told Japanese broadcaster NHK.

The flow of thought surrounding Ohtani has not been peaceful. He is batting .226 in the postseason, and he is 0 for 22 without runners on base.

If you are a concerned Dodgers fan, Mookie Betts would like to encourage you to chill.

“I have no idea why people are talking about Shohei,” Betts said. “He’s the best player on the field, every day. There is no need to worry about him.

“He hasn’t got a hit? Who cares? You know what I’m saying? It’s Shohei Ohtani. Everybody knows who he is. Every time he steps in the box, everybody expects something good to happen. I think that’s the problem. He’s done it so many times that you expect it. He’s a human for 20 at-bats.

“It’s Shohei. It’s fine.”

And Yamamoto?

“His stuff is good. His head is good,” Betts said. “Everything is good.”

Austin Barnes, the Dodgers’ backup catcher, played for Team Mexico in the 2023 World Baseball Classic. He saw up close and personal what Ohtani and Yamamoto can do in a big game.

With a berth in the championship game at stake, Ohtani and Yamamoto led Japan to a comeback victory over Mexico. Ohtani scored the first run and the tying run for Japan — the latter after leading off the ninth inning with a double — and Yamamoto came out of the bullpen and held Mexico at bay until Japan rallied from an early three-run deficit.

“They are special talents, obviously,” Barnes said. “They are a big part of our team. They don’t have to put pressure on themselves to be anything more than they are. We have a really good team around them.

“Obviously, Shohei is one of the best players in baseball, but he doesn’t have to do everything. There should be some freedom in that, I feel like.

“Yoshi is a big-game pitcher, and his stuff makes him one of the best pitchers in the world. I’m excited to see what he does.”

The start date of the World Series this year depends on whether the championship series in each league extends beyond five games. If Yamamoto does well Thursday, and if either the NLCS or ALCS lasts at least six games, he could be in line to start Game 1 of the World Series.

Think about that: The Dodgers signed one of the best pitchers in the world to a record contract for a pitcher, and he could return the favor in his first year by starting Game 1 of the World Series. You can sell all the $174.99 jerseys you want, but the real return on investment is a spot in the Fall Classic.