Turns out Shohei Ohtani isn’t the only Dodger who has been making history this postseason. Justin Dean has been breaking records too, only his accomplishments have been decidedly more humble.
Like Ohtani, Dean has played in all 10 of the Dodgers’ playoff games. But unlike Ohtani, he has yet to swing a bat in anger, entering each game as a pinch-runner or defensive replacement.
And that’s the record. Before Dean, no one had ever played 10 games in a single postseason without making a plate appearance. That’s a mark he’ll be able to pad if he’s named to the Dodgers 26-man World Series roster.
So while it’s not exactly Shohei-esque, it’s history just the same.
For Andy Fox, who shared the record after appearing in eight postseason games for the Yankees without stepping to the plate in 1996, Dean’s achievement should not be taken lightly. His role may be a small one, Fox says, but it has contributed to the Dodgers’ success.
“It actually takes more than 26 guys to win, right?” said Fox, the manager of the Pirates’ double-A affiliate in Altoona, Pa. “This isn’t just ‘we have to fill out the roster so you’re on it.’ You have a part here and you could do something just as important as Ohtani at some point.”
That hasn’t happened yet, although Dean did score the tying run in the deciding game of the National League Division Series and stole a base in the deciding game of the NL Championship Series. He’s also handled five easy chances in center field.
Dodgers outfielder Justin Dean, left, celebrates with Freddie Freeman after he scored the tying run in Game 4 of the NLDS.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
“He has a very plus skill set to play center field. And I feel having him in center field makes our overall outfield defense better,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “It’s a defined role and he just kind of raises the floor for our defense.”
Few managers have a better understanding of the impact role players can have. Roberts appeared in three postseason games for the 2004 Red Sox and never batted but his stolen base in Game 4 of the ALCS turned the series around and, 10 days later, Boston won its first World Series in 86 years.
“I had a defined role,” Roberts said. “He has a defined role.”
Dean, 28, appeared in 18 regular-season games for the Dodgers but got to the plate just twice, striking out and grounding to short. He’s not exactly an automatic out though. In college he hit .389 with a .640 slugging percentage in his final year at NCAA Division II Lenoir-Rhyne.
Drafted by the Braves in 2018, Dean made it as high as triple A — averaging more stolen bases than RBIs in six seasons — before becoming a free agent and signing with the Dodgers last winter. In 90 games at Oklahoma City, he slashed .289/.378/.395, earning a callup to the big leagues in August where, all of sudden, he became a specialist.
That’s not the way Dean hoped things would play out, but he’s embraced his role just the same.
“I’m a baseball player. I like to hit,” Dean said. “It’s not a lack of skill. It’s a matter of what the job is and what you have to do. And I do my job.”
For outfielder Alex Ochoa, who played in eight games without batting in the Angels’ run to the 2002 World Series title, that job is no less important than the relief pitcher who comes on to get one out or the pinch-hitter who gets one plate appearance.
“For most people, it’s no big deal,” he said. “But I think in the team concept, we were all just really happy to contribute any way we can. At the end of the day it’s about doing your part to bring a championship home.”
Also key for Ochoa was the communication with manager Mike Scioscia, who made it clear what his role would be.
“Scioscia was awesome with that,” he said. “He made everyone feel that their role was super important for the whole team.”
With Dean’s role also well-defined, he’s begun preparing for games differently that his teammates. During batting practice, he stations himself in center field to watch the ball as it comes off the bat, trying to perfect the timing on his jumps. Then during the game, he’ll head to the batting cage to start stretching and loosening his arm around the fifth or sixth inning, depending on the score.
“I’m fully hot, ready to go probably about the seventh inning,” he said.
Dean generally enters the game in place of right fielder Teoscar Hernández, going in to play center field with Andy Pages moving over to right. Twice this postseason — once in the division series with the Phillies and again in the NLCS with Milwaukee — he entered a game early enough that his spot in the order came up in the ninth inning.
Both times Roberts used a pinch-hitter, which disappointed Dean but kept his record intact.
“If there’s a chance to have him bat, it’s probably unlikely,” Roberts said. “But not impossible.”
And if Dean never bats against the Blue Jays? Well, the worst that could happen is he’ll finish the playoffs with a major league record and, perhaps, a World Series ring.
“Cool by me,” he says.