The last time Shohei Ohtani took over the mound at hitter-friendly Coors Field was back during the 2021 All-Star Game. He started for the American League and tossed a clean, scoreless inning. He hoped that this time it would be just as smooth. However, he gave up five earned runs on a career-high-tying nine hits across four innings in the Dodgers’ 3-8 loss to the last-place Rockies. And Ohtani is both guilty and relieved at the same time!

The Rockies (37 wins) happen to be a club with just half as many wins as the Dodgers (72 wins). Yet, they are currently dominating the 2024 World Series Champs, leading their 4-game series, 2-1. Worse than the loss was Ohtani’s career threatening injury scare.

On the side of his upper right leg, he was hit by a 93.7 mph comebacker off the bat of Rockies’ Orlando Arcia in the fourth inning. Manager Dave Roberts, along with the training staff, checked on him immediately. Ohtani still stayed in the game until the eighth inning. However, as the impact lingered with the Dodgers trailing 6-1, he was pulled out for pinch-hitter Alex Call.

“I got hit on the same spot, you know, by a hit by pitch, and right now, feels pretty good. Doing everything in my ability to make sure that it doesn’t affect me moving forward.” Ohtani said during the post-game media availability via his interpreter.

He expressed his guilt over the loss. “Very regrettable. I put the team in a bad spot. It was just a very regrettable outing. I wish I could have done better.” In three trips to the plate that night, Ohtani recorded one hit in two official at-bats, including a double, and also drew a walk.

Further, he expressed relief in escaping a career-threatening injury that could have derailed Dodgers’ World Series pursuit. “I am glad it didn’t hit the knee. We avoided the worst-case scenario. So I am going to focus on the treatment now,” he concluded.

Manager Dave Roberts confirmed after the game that Ohtani suffered a right thigh contusion. That naturally led to the question to Ohtani if he will be back in the lineup for Friday’s series opener. After all, it will be marked as the last time when the Dodgers and the Padres will go against each other in a regular season. 

Roberts hopes “Ohtani can return to the starting lineup for the first game of the weekend series against the San Diego Padres on the 23rd after resting in the final game of the series against Colorado on the 22nd.”

For now, he was assured to get his treatment right to come back stronger at Petco Park. The only time Ohtani ever surrendered nine hits in a game throughout his MLB career, it was against the Houston Astros back in September 2021. That time, he was with the Angels.

Now, the latest word on Ohtani’s pitching situation brings an intriguing update.

Dodgers weigh October strategy for Ohtani

Nothing can ever be off the table for Ohtani. Recently, on a show, Dodgers pitching coach Mark Prior confirmed that there is “absolutely” a scenario where Ohtani could pitch as a reliever.

Major League Baseball’s “Ohtani Rule” was announced back in 2022. It states that a starter can remain in the game as a DH even after being removed from the game as a pitcher. That doesn’t apply the same way in case the pitcher enters in relief.

So if Ohtani starts a matchup as a DH and enters the game to pitch, removing him would translate to taking him out of the game early. While also losing him as the DH. That’s the reason why Mark Prior clarified that the idea of Ohtani pitching as a reliever “has been discussed.” These discussions, as per Prior, came back in June. It was when Ohtani was about to make a pitching debut as a Dodger.

Meanwhile, Ohtani had said he would rather complete his buildup as a pitcher in major league games. So, the club necessarily had him start games as a starter while also keeping his bat in the lineup. Regardless of it all, the door is open for the possibility of Ohtani being used as a reliever. It may come at some point in October.