Ohtani failed to return as a pitcher in Tokyo, and the manager said, "There will be no pitching until May."The Dodgers' hope is "PS second-rate."
Ohtani failed to return as a pitcher in Tokyo, and the manager said, "There will be no pitching until May."The Dodgers' hope is "PS second-rate."
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LA Dodgers manager Dave Roberts once again confirmed that the timing of pitcher Shohei Ohtani's return to the mound will be delayed. He aims to make the most of his return to the mound in the postseason.스포츠토토
Japan Sports Hochi recently held a meeting with Dodgers manager Dave Roberts and former World Baseball Classic (WBC) Japanese national team manager Hideki Kuriyama and introduced the contents on the 5th.
Both coaches have close ties with Otani. Kuriyama is widely known as a leader who led Otani to a combined cycle of pitching. Originally, Otani sought to enter the Major League as a pitcher after graduating from high school, but the Nippon-Ham Fighters of the Japanese professional baseball league recommended him to stay as a combined cycle of pitching and hitting after seeing his batting potential. At the time, Kuriyama, who was leading the persuasion of Otani as Nippon-Ham coach, recommended that he stay as a pitcher. Kuriyama then reunited with the coach and captain of the Otaniwa national team, which became world-class players in 2023, to lead the team to its first championship in 14 years.
Roberts watched Ohtani closely in 2024. Ohtani, who played for the Los Angeles Angels until 2023, transferred to the Dodgers in 2024 for a 10-year, 700 million dollars. Although he could not play as a pitcher, he achieved the first 50 home runs and 50 steals in baseball history by playing his part by hitting and running on the base. He also took the lead in winning the World Series title in four years in the fall baseball season.
He has made history since his first year as a transfer player, but the baseball community has high expectations for Otani in 2025. He can resume his pitching and hitting jobs after his rehabilitation from his elbow. If his performance goes smoothly, he could have returned to the mound at the World Tour event held at Tokyo Dome.
However, Roberts has expressed his strong possibility to return to the mound soon. "I'm looking forward to seeing him throw and hit this season. I think he'll have to figure out how to give him some rest." Then, Roberts said, "Otani will not think he wants to rest," but added, "I'll be pitching and hitting this year, but I'm not going to throw until May. I can't throw from March to October even though I haven't thrown in a year. We have to calculate the number of pitches. Players know that."
Although he is not a pitching arm, he also needs to keep in mind that he injured his left shoulder. In October, he suffered a dislocated right shoulder while trying to steal second base in Game 2 of the World Series. After winning the championship, he underwent arthroscopic surgery, and his preparation for pitching was inevitably delayed in the process of recovering his shoulder.
He has challenged the impossible while pitching and hitting both sides. Knowing this, Kuriyama said, "I look forward to working with you. Don't panic. Otani says he wants to throw it fast," while Roberts said, "Maybe. I don't know if I can stop him. I will persuade him with the strength of a doctor or a trainer."
While Ohtani will not be seen until May, Dodgers' big picture will eventually be towards fall baseball. As Ohtani has advanced to the postseason for the past 12 consecutive years and has more reinforcement than loss of power after winning the championship, he is highly likely to advance to the postseason this year. Thanks to the recruitment of Blake Snell, his pitching staff is solid without Ohtani.
There are restrictions on the regular season, but on the contrary, it means that Ohtani is certain to compete in both pitching and hitting in fall baseball. If he, who won his first postseason since entering MLB last year, leads the team to win the title not only in the regular season but also in the postseason.