Los Angeles Dodgers Star Shohei Ohtani Leaves Start With Cramps
Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani showed some discomfort in his lower body before leaving Wednesday’s game against the Cincinnati Reds with six straight balls. The moment the trainer was called in, we all collectively held our breath, wondering if this was just another chapter in the “Why We Can’t Have Nice Things” baseball saga.
Thankfully, he stayed in the lineup as a DH and showed us he would still battle at the plate even if his legs did not entirely feel like it. Here is a play-by-play on how things unfolded.
The “Mound Exit, DH Stay” Moment That Defined the Night
Let’s not sugarcoat things. The sight of Ohtani leaving the mound as a pitcher wasn’t the most comforting. With his last five pitches clocking in at or above 96 mph, including a fiery 97.6 mph finale, it is not like it was performance issues bringing him down.
By the time Manager Dave Roberts had made the trek to check on him, Ohtani had already shown signs of command uncharacteristically slipping. He surrendered a run on five hits, with a single sacrifice fly allowed. He also added four strikeouts and one walk. His “rough nights” are most people’s career highlights.
Ohtani’s Post-Surgery Workload
Ohtani has been easing his way back into pitching after undergoing elbow surgery in 2023. Seven starts in as a Dodger, and he has a 2.40 ERA. How do you even balance the physics-defying effort of throwing at triple digits while also batting .272/.377/.612 with 38 towering home runs?
The Dodgers have been smart about pacing him. One inning to start the year, then two, then three innings for the last couple of outings. Today, he was supposed to cross the four-inning threshold.
Ohtani’s Boldness
Here is where this whole thing turns into peak Ohtani energy. After leaving the mound mid-inning, Ohtani did not just ice those cramps and call it a day. Nope. He rolled back in later as the DH because apparently cramps aren’t enough to stop his bat. Now, did he strike out looking in his sole plate appearance? Sure. But the decision to log any plate appearance that day already immortalizes yet another page in that seemingly infinite “Why Ohtani Is Built Different” encyclopedia.
What’s Next?
Cramps don’t sound catastrophic, but still, you’d hope the Dodgers keep their ultimate investment on lockdown-level precaution. Ohtani is locked into that jaw-dropping $700 million, 10-year contract he signed in December 2023. The man is mid-prime now at 31 and undoubtedly worth every single cent, but you wouldn’t want him jeopardizing innings for something avoidable like hydration issues.
