Los Angeles Dodgers two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani takes pitching very seriously, so it shouldn't come as a major surprise that he was feeling some butterflies when he made his return to the mound after a one-year layoff following Tommy John surgery.

In all, 10 total batters were hit in those seven games, including eight in the just-concluded four-game set. Hostilities finally bubbled over when Padres outfielder Fernando Tatis Jr. was hit on the right hand in the ninth inning of Thursday's series finale by a fastball from Dodgers rookie Jack Little:

The first inning on Sunday afternoon will feel at least as significant as the last one when the Los Angeles Dodgers and visiting Washington Nationals play the deciding contest of a three-game series.