Dean hasn’t batted, but he’s still stepping up to plate

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.

- BY KEVIN BAXTER

ERIC THAYER Los Angeles Times

JUSTIN DEAN has played in all 10 Dodgers playoff games but only as a pinch runner or a late-innings defensive replacement.

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.”