Dalton Rushing has found himself in the spotlight more than once this season. But Wednesday’s attention came from a very different place. The Los Angeles Dodgers’ catcher was at the center of a rather costly communication breakdown with Shohei Ohtani. It was a rather tense second inning against the Minnesota Twins, and it forced Rushing into one of the toughest learning moments of his young career.

“I didn’t do a great job start to finish. It is pretty embarrassing,” Rushing said after the game, taking responsibility for the mistakes that unfolded behind the plate. “Thankfully, he’s as good as he is, and he could take control of a game. Yeah, it’s pretty embarrassing.”

So, Shohei Ohtani started for the Los Angeles Dodgers, pitching 6 innings, allowing 2 ERs with 8 SOs. Pretty good numbers as the Dodgers completed the sweep against the Minnesota Twins. However, a disaster was waiting to happen in the second inning. The first moment came during Ryan Kreidler’s at-bat.

Ohtani believed his 89 mph sweeper had caught the bottom of the strike zone, even though it was initially called a call. The Dodger star wanted to challenge the ball, but Rushing did not think that a review was necessary. Ohtani, however, trusted his own instincts and challenged the play anyway. And lo and behold, he was right as the replay confirmed that the pitch had indeed caught the strike zone. However, the drama doesn’t end here.

After the Twins managed to string together three singles to load the bases against Ohtani, a severe pitch-calling cross-up occurred during Ryan Kreidler’s at-bat. At the very moment, Rushing was expecting an off-speed pitch, but Ohtani delivered a 101 mph fastball. Result? It got past the catcher, and the third baserunner covered the home plate. Two more runs were added on a Ryan Kreidler single, and the Twins were suddenly 3-1. Then Ohtani decided to take matters into his own hands.

In the following inning, Ohtani decided to take control of the pitch-calling process himself. Instead of waiting for Rushing’s signals, Ohtani entered his own pitches into the PitchCom device attached to his left biceps. The move immediately changed the game. Ohtani struck out the side on just 13 pitches and got back into command. The second-inning runs were the only damage he allowed as he completed six innings and helped the Dodgers get a 4-3 win over the Twins.

“There are really two ways of communicating,” Ohtani said after the game. “One is by words, but the other way to be able to communicate is by example, and just taking the charge and showing Rush what kind of pitching style I’m capable of.”

The adjustment didn’t seem like a criticism of Rushing but rather a lesson from one of the sport’s best players to the young catcher still finding his footing. But for Rushing, the game became increasingly frustrating, and his emotions were on full display.

After striking out in the third inning for the second time, he slammed his helmet on the bench and broke it in two. Then after another strikeout, he put his head into his hands repeatedly. When he popped out in the eighth inning, he legit screamed into his helmet while walking back towards the dugout. It was a frustrating night for him, no doubt, but one thing was for sure: he had support around him.

During the game, the cameras panned and showed how a group of Dodgers veteran and coaches surrounded Rushing in the dugout. Freddie Freeman spoke to him, Brent Walker, the mental skills coach too spoke with him, and later, manager Dave Roberts was seen with his arm around the catcher. Rushing did appreciate the support, but he admitted it was difficult accepting it.

“It’s embarrassing that I need support like that,” he said. “I’m a grown man. It’s a pretty tough pill to swallow, both sides of the ball. Not a great showing. It hasn’t been great as of late. I’m going to get better.”

This adds another episode of Dalton Rushing’s unpleasant moves. Back in April, he tagged out Giants outfielder Jung Hoo Lee at home plate, which resulted in an injury to Lee. Rushing was even caught on broadcast cameras, muttering an expletive as he walked to the dugout. The clip went viral, forcing Rushing to publicly clarify that the comment was not directed at Lee. The Dodgers would surely not like to see their young catcher again in controversy, as it would further deteriorate their catcher problem.

The Dodgers’ catcher problem is far from over

“He wants to do really well and expects a lot of himself. … The last few games, he’s had a tough go of it and swinging through some fastballs, which is a strength of his. It’s a learning curve for everything. He’s still trying to find his way in the big leagues,” Roberts talked about Rushing. However, despite such acknowledgment, the Dodgers may continue with him as their starting catcher.

It all started after the Dodgers’ starting All-Star catcher Will Smith was placed on the injured list in mid-June with a nagging neck inflammation/disc issue. The injury was initially expected to be a minor issue, but stalled in its progression, forcing Smith to stop baseball activities entirely, leaving the team scrambling for catching depth. Rushing came as a backup but has yet to find his footing in MLB.

The Dodgers even promoted minor leaguer Chuckie Robinson as a backup catcher, which eventually made a hole in their High-A Great Lakes Loons. The Dodgers recently signed the former St. Louis Cardinals catcher  Chase Adkison to fill the shoes of Robinson. We would not be surprised if the Dodgers focus on trading a marquee catcher by the deadline, while other teams would focus on position players and starters.