Shohei Ohtani (30, LA Dodgers), who is trying to hit the milestone of 50 homers and 50 steals for the first time in the Major League history, has a chance to return to the mound as a pitcher in the postseason. Ohtani has been under constant pressure as he has not been able to meet the 50-50 milestone, but has even emerged the possibility of returning as a pitcher in a big game.
According to the Major League’s official website “MLB.com ” on the 14th (Korea Standard Time), Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said in an interview with “MLB Network” radio that “we should always leave some room for all possibilities. It would be a good storytelling if Ohtani’s physical condition matched all situations.”
It was not a simple remark. The Dodgers has been running out of pitchers due to tightrope injuries throughout this season. Yoshinobu Yamamoto recently returned to the mound after a two-and-a-half-month hiatus due to a shoulder injury, but ace Tyler Glasnow has been delayed since he left the mound due to tendinitis in his elbow in mid-April. A simulation game scheduled for Friday has also been canceled due to recurrence of pain.
Gavin Stone and veteran Clayton Kershaw, who have won the most 11 games in his team, have also left the team due to shoulder inflammation and big toe inflammation, respectively. Walker Buehler and Bobby Miller have been sluggish repeatedly. Other than Jack Flaherty, who was brought in ahead of the trade deadline at the end of July, no starter can be counted on. He is holding on by the bullpen, but as the season gets more tired, he has more worries about the postseason. Ohtani will not be able to throw long innings right away, but if he comes to the bullpen, he may be able to breathe on the Dodgers’ mound.
Ohtani is a proven pitcher with 38 wins and 19 losses with 3.01 strikeouts and 608 ERA in 86 games (481 ⅔ innings) during five seasons in the Major League. He underwent Tommy John surgery in September last year and began his rehabilitation process, and a year has passed. He played full-time as a designated hitter this year, while also rehabilitating his elbow. Having recently reached the bull pen pitching stage, Ohtani only needs to throw live pitching by placing a batter on stand-up, and as a pitcher, he will complete all preparations for actual games. However, the schedule for live pitching has not been decided yet. 스포츠토토
Otani, who is busy playing as a batter every day, cannot afford to go all-in on the rehabilitation program for pitchers. As he has to continue playing as a designated hitter, it is not clear whether he can take the mound for rehabilitation in the Minor League. Furthermore, it is not realistic to return to the postseason after a one-year hiatus since it is not a regular season. Roberts said, “We still have a lot of work to do until October. I hope it will give him good motivation in his rehabilitation process, but the possibility (to throw in the postseason) is very slim.”
Dodgers pitching coach Mark Pryor also said of Ohtani’s return as a pitcher, “We don’t know exactly because his schedule is a bit unique. Based on the amount of pitches thrown in the bullpen, we will be able to discuss whether he will return to the real game at least two weeks later. However, the pace can be accelerated.”
“We need to be confident that Ohtani will be able to handle the burden and stress of pitching,” Roberts said. “We need to consider both the potential cost and benefits of his return to pitching. For now, it is important to focus on hitting and go through the rehabilitation process. If there is a possibility in the future, we will be able to go and have a conversation again then.”
Ohtani’s physical condition is the most important thing, but he cannot help but care about the impact on his batting sense. If it is another player, the scenario of returning to the postseason pitcher would not make sense in the first place, but if Ohtani has only three home runs and two stolen bases left in the 50-50 milestone that no one has ever seen, expectations are high for the emergence of a pitcher in fall baseball, coupled with the unstable situation of the Dodgers team.
Meanwhile, Ohtani will continue his challenge of 50-50 in an away game against the Atlanta Braves on the 15th. Since Ohtani had no hit in four times at bat against Atlanta on the 14th, he needs to add more home runs and stolen bases on the day. His opponents are not easy. The starting pitcher for Atlanta on the day is Chris Sale, a left-hander who has 16 wins and 3 losses with 2.38 strikeouts in 27 games (166 ⅔ innings) this year. He has become the top candidate for the Cy Young Award by ranking first in four categories including multiple wins, ERA, strikeouts and winning percentage (.842). Ohtani has one hit (double) from three times at bat in three matches against Sale.