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Philadelphia Phillies International Dogs Aim to Force Premature Ohtani Exit – Photos Edition

 J Barry  |    Oct 2nd, 2025 11:10pm EDT

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Los Angeles Dodgers @ Philadelphia Phillies |  Shohei Ohtani (#17, RHP, Japan, 31) vs. Cristopher Sánchez (LHP, Dominican Republic, 27) — Game 1, Sat. Oct. 4, 2025 | First Pitch at 6:38 PM EST

Phillies–Dodgers doesn’t open, it quickly unzips. Citizens Bank Park under the lights is anticipation. Topper tapped Cristopher Sánchez the moment Philly locked the bye — a tantric countdown aimed squarely at Los Angeles.

The city felt it too. On Wednesday, Oct. 1, thirty-one thousand fans happily dropped ten bucks for an intrasquad scrimmage. Just to watch their boys stretch.

By Oct. 4, the edge is unbearable. For Sánchez, it won’t be nerves — it’ll be release.

Shohei Ohtani — Samurai Golden Boy, Philly Aims for the Premature Exit

Across the diamanté — the daiyamondo — stands Shohei Ohtani — Samurai Japan’s golden boy, the global face of baseball.

Philly’s job is to strip the mystique and blow him off the mound — force a premature exit, and leave Dodger fans stuck rooftop without the Big W or the Big Ohtani.

Getting Shohei off his pitching game early might be the secret sauce that keeps him from flexing at the plate all series.

That’s the fantasy that revs up Philly fans.

The rest of the baseball world can continue daydreaming about Shohei back West, after another two-dong night — perhaps spiking Oi Ocha with something top-shelf, slipping into a one-of-one WBC-champ kimono, stacking on the World Series ring, whipping off MVP belts, kicking off the New Balances, and shouting in his mansion, We Got Now.

Deep down, the Phillies know that both under the spotlight, under the jersey, behind the clothes, and behind the closed doors… Ohtani’s arsenal is the kind most mere mortals wouldn’t dare dream of.

They aren’t wide-eyed pups. These two clubs have rendezvous’d aplenty. They’re pitbulls, mastiffs — seasoned studs with collars worn down from World Series runs and WBC pedigree. They’ve been chained to the postseason yard before.

With one big-spending National League foe already out — the Mets and their payroll circus sent home early — Tinsel Town now sits squarely atop the Phillies’ Bitin’ List.

The 2025 Philadelphia Phillies Last Longer — Extra Innings Guaranteed

This team has been morning wood since April.
The staff? Rock solid all summer.
The lineup? Never goes limp.

Bryce, Trea, Schwarber, Sosa — they’re HIM. They’re giving HIMS.

It’s Himmy Rollins energy, a prescription that lasts longer than 4 hours. Mad props. And they’re ready to take this thing deep into extra innings if that’s where the night goes.

In Philly, October runs aren’t measured in style points. They’re measured in barrels and bruises, bags and ripped RBIs.

And the arms? Sánchez opens, but behind him there’s Luzardo, Suárez, and maybe even Aaron Nola — the career Phillie who flirted with perfection to remind everyone he still belongs in the October picture. This staff isn’t short-armed; they’ve got baby arms, every angle covered, no shortage of options, stitched into a roster that plays like a tournament team.

That’s the World Baseball Network lens — Baseball Without Borders.

We don’t just see Phillies vs. Dodgers. We see Venezuela on the mound, Panama on the basepaths, Germany in the outfield, Canada in the bullpen, Dominican heat in leverage innings, and Team USA pedigree at the heart of the order.

10 Bold Predictions For the 2026 World Baseball Classic

It’s not just a lineup; it’s a global mash-up sharpened by wearing the uniform.

🇺🇸 USA – Tournament Pedigree

Trea Turner — USA (WBC ’23)

Trea. Mr. Turner, if ya nasty. The grand slam vs. Venezuela is still the template for October thunder.

Kyle Schwarber — USA (WBC ’23)

Schweddy meatballs leadoff. Fifty-six bombs, ten sneaky steals, sweaty and unapologetic.

Bryce Harper — USA (projected WBC ’26)

The Bearded face of baseball. The face you can’t scroll past, even when you want to. The face only a non-rival could love.

Harper never suited up for Team USA in a Classic — elbow surgery kept him out in 2023, and 2026 is still a question. Bryce said it himself: the real crown jewel is 2028 in Los Angeles, under Olympic lights. Until then, he’s the unofficial face of USA Baseball, the official face of Philly

…and the only guy who’d probably ask for extra pics and longer captions.

J.T. Realmuto — USA (WBC ’23)

The Wi-Fi of the dugout. Strong, Connected. Password: OnlyPhans!

🇻🇪 Venezuela – Winter Ball Grinders

Ranger Suárez — Venezuela (WBC ’23, LHP)

Calm on the mound, hot under the lights. Eats innings like street food on a night you don’t remember.

Jesús Luzardo — Peru-born, Venezuela-raised (WBC ’23, LHP)

Peru-born, Venezuela-raised. Lefty who flips the script like a bar tab gone long.

José Alvarado — Venezuela (WBC ’23, LHP/Relief)

Caracas conviction. Six-two, 245, built like a nightclub bouncer who throws 100.

Rafael Marchan — Venezuela (C)

Winter-ball heartbeat. Depth catcher, sneaky doubles hidden in the glove compartment.

Carlos Hernández — Venezuela (RHP/Relief)

National-team eligible. The bridge arm who shows up like the Uber you didn’t order.

🇩🇴 Dominican Republic – Gas and Leverage

Jhoan Duran — Dominican Republic (projected WBC ’26, RHP/Relief)

Triple digits. Fever. It bend like banana. He’s the talk of every romping shop — the Vybz Kartel of the playoff ’pen.

Cristopher Sánchez — Dominican Republic (LHP/SP)

Game 1 starter. Lefty length, primed for October.

🌍 Other Global Threads

Edmundo Sosa — Panama (WBC ’23, IF/Utility)

Bench spark. The trick lighter you forgot was still in your jeans pocket.

Max Kepler — Germany (WBC Qualifiers)

German-born, Oktoberfest-bred. Schlong kielbasa swing in a beer garden, and he’s still asking if you want another round.

Jordan Romano — Canada (WBC ’23 roster)

Closer of record. Hockey-fight eyes. Maple-drip gas.

Steals and Swipes

October doesn’t just live in the long ball. It lives in the swipe nobody saw coming. A long single becomes a double. Adultery in cleats — a stolen moment right under your nose.

Turner’s green light. Sosa’s slide. Marchan stretching a cheeky single into a double. Kepler’s German beer-hall lift. Is that Schwarber? All October multipliers.

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Picks To Click

These aren’t one-night props. These are series tickets — set ’em now, let the bench and bullpen do the sweating.

Easy Street Play (+192 est.)

• Phillies +1.5

• Over 3.5 runs

• Trea Turner 1+ hit

No sweat, no stretch. Just a quiet grin when it hits.

Phanatic Ticket (+2100 est.)

• Phillies +2.5

• Over 4.5 runs

• Schwarber HR

• Sosa 1+ SB

• Marchan 2+ TB (+50)))

Philly flavor: meatball power, sneaky swipes, and a winter-ball double that cashes.

Fun Ride Buffet (+28,000 est.)

• Phillies −3.5

• Over 9.5 runs

• Schwarber HR

• Harper 2+ TB

• Marchan 2+ TB

• Sosa 1+ SB

• Kepler 2+ TB

All gas, no napkins. Cheesesteak with everything.

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🟢🐘 OnlyPhanatics Xtra Thicc Pick 🟢🍻🌭🍟

The buffet line of October baseball. Grab a plate, pile it high, then sneak back for one more scoop. This is a premium pick and requires Edmundo Sosa to be on the board.

For Game 1: Phillies-Dodgers to extras + Edmundo Sosa 1 SB.
The bench lighter, the belly flop, the swipe that flips the whole night.

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Baseball Without Borders. Philly without fear.

Odds Board – International Player Props

(Updated 1:00 a.m. EST, Sat. Oct. 4)

Seven ways to reach base — hit, walk, HBP, error, catcher’s interference, fielder’s choice, dropped third strike. We don’t care how you get there. Once you’re on, it’s about what you do: stretch a single into a double, swipe the bag, or drop a bomb.

That’s the board. Stolen bases, total bases, home runs.

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Home Runs (1+ / 2+)

• Shohei Ohtani (Japan) +350 / +2500

• Bryce Harper (USA) +350 / +4000

• Kyle Schwarber (USA) +200 / +1600

• Teoscar Hernández (Dominican Republic) +500 / +6000

• Trea Turner (USA) +550 / +8000

• Max Kepler (Germany) +600 / +8000

• Miguel Rojas (Venezuela) +1200 / —

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Total Bases (1+ / 2+)

• Trea Turner (USA) -135 / +110

• Shohei Ohtani (Japan) -250 / Even

• Edmundo Sosa (Panama) — / (not listed, watch steals below)

• Max Kepler (Germany) -115 / +180

• Teoscar Hernández (Dominican Republic) -225 / +125

• Miguel Rojas (Venezuela) -175 / +180

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Stolen Bases (1+ / 2+)

• Trea Turner (USA) +475 / +5000

• Shohei Ohtani (Japan) +1550 / +7500

• Edmundo Sosa (Panama) (not listed but sneaky)

• Tommy Edman (Korea eligible) +900 / +8000

• Bryson Stott (USA) +800 / +8000

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⚾️ WBN Angle: Forget strikeouts, forget wins. The leash is short. The value is in international players racking up total bases, swiping bags, and going yard.

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WBN Parlay — Phillies International Dogs Edition 🐶🌍

(Oct. 4 — NLDS Game 1: Phillies vs. Dodgers)

Legs:

• 🇺🇸 Phillies -3.5 Run Line (+450)

• 🟢 Phillies Over 3.5 Team Runs (-115)

• 🇺🇸 J.T. Realmuto 1+ Stolen Base (+1100)

• 🇩🇪 Max Kepler 3+ Total Bases (+380)

• 🇺🇸 Trea Turner 1+ Home Run (+550)

💸 Odds: +29417
💵 $1 → $295.17