NEW YORK — Dodgers slugger Shohei Ohtani appeared in pain in Game 3 of the World Series at Yankee Stadium. Aside from wearing a modified sling and holding his jersey with his left hand while running the bases, most swings he produced resulted in a visible wince.
To top things off, Ohtani wasn’t much of a factor in the Dodgers’ 4-2 win over the Yankees. That’s where he went 0-for-3 with a walk, a hit by pitch and a run scored, but his at-bats looked quite non-competitive.
This begs the question of the seriousness of Ohtani’s injury and whether he will require surgery at the end of the season.
“I haven’t had further conversations about the future plan,” Ohtani said after Game 3 “I think that’s something that’s going to happen after the season is over, doing additional testing. But in terms of how I feel now, I don’t think so.”
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Dodgers manager Dave Roberts noticed Ohtani wincing during a few of his swings, especially on pitches he chased outside of the zone. But considering that his shoulder didn’t get worse throughout the game, Roberts isn’t even considering the possibility of sitting out his best hitter, who was adamant about playing in Game 3.
“But I think it’s sort of pointless for me to even consider because he’s going to be there tomorrow,” Roberts said.
Ohtani’s night started off with him wearing a modified brace during player introductions. Apparently, he wore the brace throughout the game in the dugout per his trainers’ orders.
“I was told to wear a device that keeps my shoulder warm,” Ohtani said.
Despite the modified sling, running the bases while holding the top of his jersey and the visible wincing after swinging the bat, Ohtani would not admit to feeling any discomfort or pain throughout the game.
Instead, he says the tape he wore to brace his shoulder felt “different” compared to when he doesn’t wear the tape.
The reason, according to Ohtani, is that the injury was to his left shoulder.
“If it was the right shoulder, then I think It would have impacted my swing,” he said.
With the Dodgers one win away from winning the World Series, Ohtani expects to be batting leadoff in Game 4 on Tuesday.
“I’m just really focusing on winning the game tomorrow,” Ohtani said. “As a team, there’s no better opportunity to do so.”
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