With the Dodgers facing elimination as they trail the Blue Jays 3-2 in the World Series, Los Angeles understandably isn’t closing any doors for its two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani.
He started the Game 4 loss at Dodger Stadium, throwing six innings and 93 pitches while letting up four earned runs after the Dodgers’ incredible win in the marathon Game 3 which lasted 18 innings. As the Fall Classic heads back to Toronto, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts is leaving everything on the table for Ohtani as their season hangs in the balance.
“We’d consider everything,” Roberts said when asked about his plan for Ohtani in the rest of the series. “It’s more of just doing whatever we can to get through [Game 6] tomorrow and pick up the pieces and then see what’s the best way to attack a potential Game 7. So everything should be on the table and will be for sure.”
The Dodgers skipper spoke to the possibility of Ohtani being available in relief for Game 6, noting the team will see how Ohtani comes in on the day of, but they have to have those conversations as they face elimination. Yoshinobu Yamamoto will get the ball to start Friday’s Game 6 for L.A.
Roberts maintains a wide-open plan for Ohtani the rest of the way, even the potential of playing the outfield. If the two-way star were to pitch in relief, the Dodgers would lose their designated hitter once Ohtani’s appearance ends based on Major League Baseball’s two-way player rule, per MLB.com’s Sonja Chen. Ohtani is able to stay in the game as DH if he starts the game on the mound. Putting Ohtani in the field is a way the Dodgers can work around that risk.
“We’ll talk about everything,” Roberts said on Ohtani playing outfield. “We’ll talk through whatever’s the best. If we get to that point, we’ll see, but he’s not going to play the outfield [in Game 6], I do know that. But, if we get to Game 7, we’ll have a good discussion about everything.”
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Dave Roberts Lays Out Dodgers' Wide-Open Plan for Shohei Ohtani in Potential Game 7.
