B/R Mag LogoFacebook LogoTwitter LogoCopy Link IconBleacher Report LogoB/R MagShohei Ohtani Is the Great Bambino 2.0 http://www.dodgersfanproshop.com/authentic-maury-wills-jersey , Living Two Dreams at OnceDo you believe in miracles? The pitcher/hitter import is playing like you did as a kid. And he won鈥檛 be the last to double-dip鈥攈e鈥檒l be an inspiration. Part of the B/R POWER 50 Level Up list.Joon LeeiamjoonleeTwitter LogoStaff WriterJuly 23, 2018It was easy to roll your eyes when you heard what the Los Angeles Angels' Shohei Ohtani was going to attempt this season: become the first full-time pitcher/hitter since Babe Ruth. No one has successfully done it since then. But Ohtani had set his sights on shattering conventional wisdom, breaking rules that have been in place for generations. He wanted to make baseball fans stretch the limits of what they believe possible.When the season started, Ohtani's mission quickly became the game's best story. Cynicism turned into passionate fandom, within the first week. Now, with nine starts and 34 games at the plate, Ohtani has a 3.10 ERA with 61 strikeouts and a 1.14 WHIP in 49. 1 innings on the mound and is hitting .289/.372/.535 with six homers, eight doubles, one triple and 20 RBI.Those numbers are impressive to say the least. He's essentially attempting to be Russell Wilson and Jalen Ramsey, or Alex Ovechkin and Henrik Lundqvist. At the same time. He's trying to pull the equivalent of baseball's EGOT, one of the most ambitious athletic endeavors since guys like Deion Sanders and Bo Jackson played multiple sports professionally.What Ohtani is doing is remarkable for many reasons, but one that stands out is how different it feels in the current baseball climate. In recent years, baseball has gone all-or-nothing and become highly specialized. Relievers routinely come in to huck three 100 mph fastballs before being replaced by other relievers. Hitters like Joey Gallo mash more home runs than singles, singularly aiming to hit the ball over the fence. Ohtani is doing the opposite. He is playing how many of us did as kids鈥攄oing it all.And he's doing it at a high level.We're already seeing the ripple effects of Ohtani's success鈥攖he Ohtani effect, if you will. Rays prospect Brendan McKay, a two-way first baseman and pitcher, is starting at both positions. More surely will follow, even in light of Ohtani's recent injury, which has put a damper on his dreamlike season. (Maybe even his career, given the precarious nature of arm injuries for pitchers in the modern game.) And while we may not see him on the mound again soon, we can all imagine one day watching a pitcher win the Home Run Derby. Thanks to Ohtani, that dream isn't as far-fetched as we once believed it was.Joon Lee is a staff writer for B/R Mag. Follow him on Twitter: joonlee.Check out more game-changers on theB/R POWER 50Level Up list:1. Cristiano Ronaldo2. Giannis Antetokounmpo3. Chloe Kim4. WWE Women's Division5. A'ja Wilson6. Sylvia Fowles7. Aaron Judge8. Shohei Ohtani9. Russell Westbrook10. Sabrina IonescuExplore theB/R POWER 50, a list of the most influential people in sports culture right now >> The 2018 MLB playoffs roll on into Friday, with four games on the slate to keep baseball fanatics glued to their screens throughout the day.The National League Division Series opened Thursday, with the Milwaukee Brewers toppling the Colorado Rockies 3-2 on Mike Moustakas' walk-off single in the 10th. The Los Angeles Dodgers Fernando Valenzuela Jersey , meanwhile, slugged their way to a6-0win over the Atlanta Braves.The American League Division Series gets going Friday, when the Cleveland Indians host the Houston Astros and the Boston Red Sox welcome their longtime rival New York Yankees.Friday Playoff ScheduleIndians (+130) at Astros (-140), 2:05 p.m. ET on TBSRockies (+141) at Brewers (-151), 4:15 p.m. ET on FS1Yankees (+165) at Red Sox (-180), 7:32 p.m. ET on TBSBraves (+195) at Dodgers (-238), 9:37 p.m. ET on FS1Odds according toOddsShark.Cleveland Indians at Houston AstrosPatrick McDermott/Getty ImagesYes, the Houston Astros are defending champions. And yes, they paced the entire league with a plus-263 run differential. But don't let that fool you into thinking Houston will automatically steamroll the Cleveland Indians.The Indians aren't perfect, but they are trending the right direction. The midseason move to acquire Brad Hand and Adam Cimber shored up a bullpen that encountered some uncharacteristic rough patches, and the lineup has a former MVP as a wild card in August acquisition Josh Donaldson.None of this will scare the Astros, who are both seasoned and statistically dominant. They finished fifth in the AL in runs scored and OPS, first in ERA (by a mile) and first in OBP against (.282, the AL'sonly sub-.300 mark).Game 1 starters Corey Kluber and Justin Verlander might both rank among the five best pitchers in baseball, so there's not much of an advantage either way. Most hitting categories favor Cleveland, but the difference is minimal鈥?1 more runs, 11 more home runs and four extra batting average points.When it's this close to call, it might be safest to lean toward the home team, especially when said ballclub was the last to claim the crown.Prediction:Astros 3, Indians 2Colorado Rockies at Milwaukee BrewersDylan Buell/Getty ImagesWhile the Brewers and Rockies combined for five runs in 10 innings to start the series, a repeat performance feels unlikely. Given the collective firepower between them, there is plenty of potential for a noisier Game 2.Colorado starter Tyler Anderson had a losing record (7-9) and a forgettable ERA (4.55) in the regular season. That said, he had some of his best starts down the stretch. In five September outings, he pitched to a strong 3.25 ERA with more than three times as many strikeouts (24 in 27.2 innings) as walks (seven).Milwaukee counters with Jhoulys Chacin, who steered them through Monday's NL Central tiebreaker with 5.2 innings of one-hit http://www.dodgersfanproshop.com/authentic-jackie-robinson-jersey , one-run ball. On the season, he sported a strong 15-8 record with a solid 3.50 ERA, the second-lowest in the rotation and his best mark since 2013 (minimum five starts).The pitchers seem unlikely to be the focal point of this contest, though. The Brewers and Rockies respectively finished second and third in home runs in the NL, and each roster includes a legitimate MVP candidate鈥擟hristian Yelich and Nolan Arenado, who both drove in 110 runs, scored 100-plus runs and clubbed at least 36 homers.The Brewers should be riding high after Thursday's thrilling victory, and when that energy is combined with a raucous home crowd, that sounds like the formula for a 2-0 series lead.Prediction:Brewers 8, Rockies 5 New York Yankees at Boston Red SoxFrank Franklin II/Associated PressConsidering the rich history of this rivalry, this matchup feels like a gift from the baseball gods. The stat sheet, though, tells a different story.The New York Yankees are really good鈥攖hey were one of only three teams to crack triple digits in wins. But the Boston Red Sox might be historically great.Boston's 108 wins were the most recorded since 2001. Its hitters were the AL's best in runs, hits, doubles, RBI, batting average and slugging percentage. Its pitching staff ranked third in ERA and strikeouts. Its defense tied for fourth in fielding percentage. Its baserunners were third in steals.The Red Sox have the AL MVP favorite鈥攁nd it's not J.D. Martinez, who blasted 43 homers and drove in 130 runs. Rather, it's batting champ Mookie Betts, who hit .346, homered 32 times, scored 129 runs and stole 30 bases.The Game 1 matchup of Chris Sale and J.A. Happ feels like another lopsided advantage for the home team, provided the former can overcome a troubling bout of shoulder inflammation. Sale made just five starts after July and didn't go longer than five innings in any of them. His typically electric stuff has also suffered from a steepdrop in velocity.If Sale isn't all the way right, the Yankees have the power to jump all over him. They not only led the majors with 267 home runs, but they also paced the category by 32 dingers (a bigger gap than the one between Nos. 2 and 11).But it's hard to bet against this Boston team.Prediction:Red Sox 6 Kenley Jansen Jersey , Yankees 3 Atlanta Braves at Los Angeles DodgersLachlan Cunningham/Getty ImagesHaving Clayton Kershaw pitch Game 2 speaks to the Dodgers' absurd depth in the rotation. L.A. had six different starters win at least seven games and post winning records, four of whom had ERAs of 3.02 or lower.Kershaw might not have beenKERSHAW!this season, but the three-time Cy Young winner and former MVP remains plenty filthy. This was his 10th straight campaign with a sub-3.00 ERA, and he tallied 155 strikeouts against only 29 walks.Atlanta has handed the starting duties to Anibal Sanchez, who was among this season's most pleasant surprises. Unceremoniously dumped by the Minnesota Twins in March, he went on to give the Braves a 2.83 ERA over 136.2 innings.Sanchez will need to be razor-sharp, though, as the Dodgers were the NL leaders in runs and home runs. They canmash, as they did with three long balls Thursday.The Braves' rise feels a tad ahead of schedule, though that's what can happen when sub-25-year-olds like Ronald Acuna Jr. (26 homers, 16 steals), Ozzie Albies (24 homers, 14 steals) and Johan Camargo (19 homers, 76 RBI) simultaneously enjoy a rapid rise. Tack on the likes of Freddie Freeman (23 homers, 98 RBI), Nick Markakis (93 RBI) and Ender Inciarte (28 steals), and Atlanta isn't short on offensive weaponry.The question is whether that will matter with Kershaw on the mound. He was relatively hittable late in the season (3.89 ERA in September), although his track record suggests he can catch fire at any minute.If you were asked for a preseason prediction about a Kershaw-Sanchez playoff matchup, you would have dismissed the question with uproarious laughter. The gap between them might not be comical anymore, but it's wide enough for us to predict a Friday sweep for the home teams.Prediction:Dodgers 5, Braves 1Statistics used courtesy ofMLB.comandESPN.com.鈥