10/29/24 01:27:00
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10/29 01:24 CDT Shohei Ohtani returns after dislocating shoulder, goes hitless
as Dodgers take 3-0 World Series lead
Shohei Ohtani returns after dislocating shoulder, goes hitless as Dodgers take
3-0 World Series lead
By RONALD BLUM
AP Baseball Writer
NEW YORK (AP) --- Shohei Ohtani wasn't on the team bus from Dodger Stadium to
Los Angeles International Airport because he was getting tests Saturday night
after partially separating his left shoulder in Game 2 of the World Series.
So the Japanese star reached out in a group chat with fellow Dodgers players to
erase any doubts over his status.
"The text just like literally said: `I can play,'" infielder Max Muncy recalled
Monday. "I mean, there was more to it than that."
True to his word, Ohtani remained in the lineup in his regular leadoff slot as
the designated hitter for Game 3 of the World Series. He walked leading off the
game and scored on Freddie Freeman's two-run homer, starting the Dodgers to a
4-2 win over the New York Yankees and a 3-0 World Series lead.
Ohtani was 0 for 3 with a walk and was hit by a pitch, looking uncomfortable as
he winced and grimaced while swinging.
"Balls that were away that he chased a little bit, I saw a couple winces,"
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said.
Ohtani dropped to 1 for 11 with no RBIs in Series.
"If it was more of the right shoulder, then I think it would have impacted my
swing," he said through an interpreter. "Thankfully, it was my left, so I don't
think it really did."
He was the only Dodgers starter wearing a warmup jacket during pregame
introductions and high-fived teammates with his right hand. A black wrapping
was visible over his left shoulder, which Ohtani said was there to help keep
his shoulder warm.
He didn't swing in his first plate appearance, taking four balls from Clarke
Schmidt. Ohtani kept his left arm at an angle over his chest while at first
base, hand holding his collar, and held it there while rounding the bases on
Freeman's homer.
Ohtani grounded out in the third and held the hand to his chest as he jogged
back to the dugout. He struck out in the fourth and fouled out in the seventh.
"The reason why I was holding on to myself when I was running is to make sure
that I wouldn't use that same shoulder arm if I were to slide," he said.
Ohtani said he isn't sure whether he will need offseason surgery.
"I haven't had further conversations about the future plan," he explained. "I
think it's something that's going to happen after the season is over, do
additional testing. But in terms of how I feel now, I don't think so."
Muncy said Ohtani wrote the Saturday night text himself in English without
assistance from interpreter Will Ireton.
"We all said: `All right, he's got us. We'll be ready for him to be in the
lineup,'" Muncy recalled.
Roberts didn't get the text message --- "that group chat is for us --- that's
for the players," Muncy said --- and wasn't aware of it until Monday.
"Would have been helpful if I was on that thread. I would have slept better
Saturday night," the manager said with a smile.
Ohtani got hurt sliding into second base when he was caught stealing to end the
seventh inning of the 4-2 win in Game 2. Roberts said Ohtani's shoulder was
popped back into place by the athletic training staff at the ballpark and an
MRI showed no structural damage.
"I was really concerned about whether I was safe or out," Ohtani said. "It was
only when I went back inside where we had to figure out what it was."
Asked whether Ohtani received medication, an injection or was being taped up,
Roberts said "it's all of the above on the treatment and stuff. The tape is
just protecting and stabilizing, not really limiting."
Ohtani took swings off a tee in a Yankee Stadium batting cage Sunday night and
was hitting balls 102 mph, which changed Roberts' mood to "joy."
"He was very adamant that he was going to play," Roberts said. "Obviously,
there's some discomfort."
A separated shoulder is subject to recurrence. Roberts said he doubted Ohtani
will attempt any more stolen bases during the Series.
Ohtani is batting .245 with three home runs and 10 RBIs in his first MLB
postseason. A two-time AL MVP with the Los Angeles Angels, Ohtani joined the
Dodgers last December for a record $700 million, 10-year contract.
The 30-year-old slugger hit .310 with 54 homers, 130 RBIs and 59 stolen bases,
becoming the first player with at least 50 homers and 50 stolen bases in a
season. The two-way star did not pitch this season while recovering from elbow
surgery on Sept. 19, 2023, and has been limited to designated hitter.
Now he is one win from the goal he set when he signed with the Dodgers after
six losing seasons with the Angels.
"It's always been my childhood dream to be able to be in an important
situation, to play in important games," he said before the postseason started.
Pain didn't stop him.
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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
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