BRONX, NY — The Los Angeles Dodgers and the baseball world as a whole held their breath after Shohei Ohtani stayed down after partially dislocating his left shoulder in the seventh inning of Game 2 on Saturday night while attempting to steal second base.
“After the game, we all went and checked immediately on him,” Dodgers infielder Max Muncy said. “It was almost like a buffet line to see how he was doing.”
While the concern swirled around him, the Los Angeles superstar had little doubt in his mind that he would be in the lineup for Game 3 of the World Series on Monday night at Yankee Stadium. Almsot immediately following the Dodgers’ 4-2 win to take a 2-0 series lead on, Ohtani texted his team’s group chat and said he was going to be fine.
“He was very adamant that he was going to play,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “I watched him take swings last night in the cage. He looked really good. Strong balls coming off the bat. So I think that there was more uncertainty in all of our minds, but in his mind, from Day 1, from Saturday, he was going.”
Needless to say, there was a bit of relief and then some when Ohtani was launching 102 mph hits off the tee on Sunday in the cage.
“That was joy,” Roberts said.
There was little surprise, then, that Ohtani was back in his usual lead-off spot for Game 3 in the Bronx, though there will be some pain management involved moving forward. The likely National League MVP is being administered medicine, shots, and has his left shoulder wrapped — something that will be maintained for the remainder of the World Series. It remains unclear if he will need any sort of medical procedure within the area this winter.
“I would say it’s more discomfort [right now],” Roberts began. “It’s per the individual’s tolerance. Some swings are fine, some swings are a little uncomfortable. I think for me, we didn’t think he was going to be compromised and he was going to play.”
While his bat’s presence will go unchanged during the Fall Classic, it is unlikely that Major League Baseball’s first 50/50 man will attempt to steal a base again.
In his postseason debut, Ohtani has a .863 ERA with three home runs and 10 RBI.
“Honestly, I was hoping he was OK,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “You see him walking off, holding [his shoulder] like that, that’s a concern. Hopefully, he’s OK. We all want to be out here competing with and against the best and Shohei embodies that.
