NEW YORK (AP) — Shohei Ohtani was in his regular leadoff spot as the Los Angeles Dodgers' designated hitter for Game 3 of the World Series on Monday night, two days after the star slugger partially dislocated his left shoulder.
“If you keep the best player in the game in the lineup, that’s usually good for your team,” Dodgers infielder Max Muncy said. “Having him in there, obviously it’s a big guy to have in there. It helps a lot. He’s had some big moments for us, and we’re obviously expecting a couple more big moments out of him.”
Seeking their eighth title and second in five years, the Dodgers held a 2-0 lead over the New York Yankees in the best-of-seven series. Walker Buehler was scheduled to start Game 3 for Los Angeles against Clarke Schmidt.
Muncy said Ohtani informed teammates late Saturday night he would be available this week in New York.
“He texted the whole team as we were on our way to the airport and said he was going to be fine, and that’s it. He said he was going to play, so we all put it to the side at that moment,” Muncy said. “We said, all right, he’s got us. We’ll be ready for him to be in the lineup.”
Ohtani got hurt sliding into second base when he was caught stealing to end the seventh inning of Saturday night’s 4-2 victory in Game 2 at Los Angeles.
He clutched his left forearm after being tagged by shortstop Anthony Volpe on a feetfirst slide. Ohtani laid near the bag for a couple of minutes before being tended to by athletic trainers and leaving the field.
“Obviously, it was very tough in the moment to see him in pain like that,” Muncy said. "We were two innings away from winning that ballgame. We knew we had to refocus. Obviously, it sucks seeing Sho in that kind of pain, but we still had a job to do in the moment.
“After the game we all checked on him to see how he was doing. It was like a buffet line going in there to see how he’s doing. Yeah, it was tough in the moment, but we refocused to win the game.”
Ohtani was 0 for 3 with a walk in Game 2. The likely NL MVP is 1 for 8 in the first two games of the Fall Classic and is batting .260 with three home runs and 10 RBIs in his first postseason in the majors.
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 Ohtani 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.
“You see him walk off holding it like that, obviously that’s a concern. But hopefully he is OK,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said before Game 3. “We want to all be out here competing with and against the best, and obviously Shohei embodies that. So hopefully everything’s OK, and we’ll get to go compete against him.”
___
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
The Associated Press