Dodgers left: Miguel Rojas, Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts

There was a lot at stake ahead of the Dodgers' meeting with their division rival San Diego Padres on Tuesday, with only a razor-thin three-game lead separating the two teams from the division title.

For the eighth time in 11 meetings between the two teams, the Padres emerged victorious with an improbable triple play, cutting their lead in the division to just two games.

Miguel Rojas, who was responsible for the triple play that helped San Diego make the playoffs, described the series as a mini-playoff, according to Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register, as both teams will be chasing the Commissioner's Trophy starting next week.

“This is kind of a mini postseason for us – a three-game series that we have to win,” Rojas said. “We had a chance tonight and we didn't capitalize on it. We have to come back tomorrow, win tomorrow and win the day after that. I think that's the mentality of everyone in this clubhouse.”

Left

Shohei Ohtani continued to rack up record-setting feats on Tuesday by recording his 95th extra-base hit of the season, surpassing Babe Herman's 94-year-old record for most extra-base hits in a single season in franchise history.

Former two-sport athlete and current UC Boulder football coach Deion Sanders acknowledged Ohtani's greatness, comparing him to Michael Jordan and Tom Brady as the very best in their respective sports, according to Brian Murphy of MLB.com.

“Ohtani, he's incredible, man,” Sanders said Tuesday. “You can compare him to the Jordans and Tom Bradys of the world. That's who he is. He does things we can't even imagine.”

Jay Jaffe of FanGraphs.com listed a superteam consisting of the best outfielders from all six National League teams in the postseason, naming Ohtani the NL's best designated hitter and Mookie Betts the NL's best right fielder despite spending half his time as the primary shortstop this season.

To bet: Overall, he hit .295/.380/.505 (147 wRC+) with 19 home runs, 16 steals, and 4.6 WAR in just 110 games (a 6.8-WAR pace). Sure, he's only played 37 games in 2024, but come October, he's clearly the guy you want out there.