Shohei Ohtani opens up: “We’re putting too much pressure on ourselves”

Pressure. That’s the word the Los Angeles Dodgers players have been using in recent weeks due to the difficult spell the offense is going through in the final stretch of the regular season. The Los Angeles team lost two of three games in the series in Baltimore against the Orioles last weekend and now hold a slender one game lead in the National League Western Conference ahead of the Padres.

Since July 4th, the Los Angeles Dodgers have a 23-32 record and the reigning Major League Baseball champions have struggled to pick up wins both at home and on the road. Shohei Ohtani, one of the team leaders, was candid about the Dodgers’ rough patch with just 19 games left in the regular season and October just around the corner.

Dodgers’ season finale

“Individually, we’re trying to figure out how to hit better than we’re hitting,” Ohtani said through his interpreter Will Ireton. “But I think the side effect of that is that we’re a little too anxious and putting too much pressure on ourselves. That’s hurting us more than it’s helping us.”

For his part, Miguel Rojas, one of the Los Angeles Dodgers’ most experienced players, agreed with what Shohei Ohtani said. The Venezuelan infielder extended the Japanese player’s message by saying that the team is carrying more pressure than necessary at the end of this season.

“I feel like, as an offense, we’re putting a little too much pressure on ourselves because we feel the need to win. And we’re really forgetting the most important thing, which is playing for each other and enjoying the game,” said Miguel Rojas.

The Dodgers hope to put their offensive slump behind them when they open a home series against the Colorado Rockies (they managed to win the opener) and then the San Francisco Giants. The Dodgers’ first goal of this season’s close is to win the NL West again to avoid the Wild Card round. However, the San Diego Padres continue to push hard for that top spot.

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