When will Shohei Ohtani pitch again? Could the Dodgers’ star hitter take the mound in the playoffs?
The Dodgers and their fans may be hoping for a post-season pitching performance from the Japanese star but it might be just too risky to take the chance.
The Japanese two-way sensation has given the baseball world a year to remember with a series of incredible feats, breaking records along the way. Yet, with the playoffs now underway the possibility of him taking the mound once again looks more and more unlikely.
No, Shohei Ohtani will not pitch in the playoffs
“I think it’s no different than before.” Those were the words spoken by Los Angeles Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes a few days ago when speaking about the prospect of Shohei Ohtani pitching in the playoffs. “We don’t anticipate him pitching in the postseason.”
With that, what has looked increasingly inevitable, was confirmed. Needless to say, it does put a damper on what has otherwise been an unbelievable season for Ohtani, but when all is considered is almost certainly the best option for all involved. Many had of course hoped Ohtani would be able to return to the mound in mid-September and even more so after manager Dave Roberts hinted that he could pitch again. Indeed, the Dodgers delayed making any firm declarations for as long as possible, but ultimately Ohtani’s full recovery is the priority and as it should be.
“He’s probably, I mean, I don’t know exactly because his calendar is obviously a little quirky,” said Dodgers pitching coach Mark Prior on back on September 13th. “But if I had to guess based on the amount of ‘pens, he’d still be at least a couple more weeks before we got to having that discussion. And even then, that might be accelerated.” To be clear, Ohtani has just given the baseball world what is arguably the greatest offensive display we have seen in the history of the game, becoming the first player to hit at least 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in a single season, setting multiple franchise and league records. What’s more incredible is that he did so while recovering from his second Tommy John surgery.
Nonetheless, the Dodgers appear to have made a choice and so, now tied at 1-1 in their National League Division Series with the San Diego Padres, following a 10-2 loss on Sunday night, they will be looking to Ohtani’s batting rather than his pitching. That said, it’s interesting to note that the team is still holding out hope as evidenced by Roberts’ later comments when he tried to clarify the official stance on Ohtani pitching. “The question I was asked was, ‘Is it a possibility?’ Anything is possible. We’ve still got a lot of work to get to October and through October. I hope that’s on his mind as far as motivation for his rehab. But the odds of it coming to pass are very slim. But they’re not zero. That’s my only thing.” As we always say, stay tuned.