As the Los Angeles Dodgers gear up for their 2024 MLB playoff run, fans hoping to see Shohei Ohtani on the mound will need to temper their expectations. Despite earlier speculation, it now appears Ohtani won’t be pitching this postseason.
Back in September, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts left the door open for a potential Ohtani pitching cameo in October, suggesting that the situation could change depending on his recovery and the team’s needs. However, Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes officially put that idea to rest on Wednesday, clarifying that Ohtani won’t be returning to the mound this fall.
Ohtani hasn’t pitched since undergoing elbow surgery last September, a procedure that effectively ended his 2023 pitching campaign. Throughout the summer, Ohtani followed a strict throwing program, and he even returned to the mound for the first time in August, giving fans a glimmer of hope that he might be ready to pitch again in the postseason.
“I just think like anything—you should always leave some margin, a crack in the door for any possibility,” Roberts said during a September interview on MLB Network Radio. “If things line up and there’s a need, and the game, his body, everything is telling us that it makes sense in that situation, great. It would be storybook.”
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Indeed, a return to the mound would be a fairytale moment, but for now, Ohtani’s playoff heroics will be confined to the batter’s box. He’s fresh off one of the most remarkable offensive seasons in MLB history, becoming the first player to record at least 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a single season.
Despite his historic performances over six seasons with the Los Angeles Angels, Ohtani never made it to the playoffs with his former team.
Now, he’ll finally make his postseason debut in Game 1 of the NLDS with the Dodgers, who will face the winner of the wild-card series between the Atlanta Braves and San Diego Padres.
While fans won’t get to witness Ohtani’s dual-threat magic on the mound, his impact at the plate will still be pivotal for the Dodgers’ playoff success.
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