Los Angeles Dodgers two-way star Shohei Ohtani doesn’t experience many rough days on the field. But Tuesday’s start against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field proved to be a difficult one for the superstar.
Ohtani was knocked around in the outing, giving up five earned runs in just four innings of work. To make matters worse, the two-way star was removed from the game in the late innings due to a thigh injury.
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The injury occurred in the fourth inning. With Ohtani on the mound, Rockies infielder Orlando Arcia hit a line shot directly at Ohtani. The ball hit Ohtani in the right thigh. He didn’t seem too phased by the injury initially, and attempted to field the ball. He failed to get the out, and gave up one more run in the frame before getting out of the inning.
While Ohtani remained in the game for a few innings, he was eventually pulled by manager Dave Roberts before an at-bat in the eighth.
The Dodgers couldn’t overcome Ohtani’s early struggles on the mound, falling to the Rockies, 8-3.
Thankfully for Ohtani and the Dodgers, the injury is not considered serious, and Ohtani is expected to be in the lineup Friday, per MLB.com.
“That’s my intention,” Ohtani said through interpreter Will Ireton, “is to make sure I get my treatment, and the goal is to make sure that I’m back to normal again. … I got hit in the same spot, hit by a pitch [earlier this season]. Right now, it feels pretty good. I’m going to do everything in my ability to make sure that it doesn’t affect me moving forward.”
Ohtani won’t play in the team’s final game of the series Thursday, but that was the plan even before the thigh issue.
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The two-way star is in the midst of yet another fantastic season. At the plate, Ohtani is hitting .285/.392/.621, with 43 home runs. His return to the mound has also been successful, as Ohtani has a 3.47 ERA in 23 1/3 innings. If he can keep up that excellence, Ohtani could win his third MVP award.
While that would be impressive, Ohtani is likely more focused on leading the Dodgers to another World Series title. The team is in good shape on that front. At 72-55, the Dodgers lead the National League West.
Wednesday’s contest may have been frustrating, but it seems like Ohtani came out of it fine. That’s welcome news for the Dodgers, who will need Ohtani’s powerful bat and blazing fastball to carry them on yet another deep postseason run in just a few weeks.
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