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Alden Gonzalez, ESPN Staff WriterSep 17, 2024, 11:09 PM ET
- ESPN baseball reporter. Covered the L.A. Rams for ESPN from 2016 to 2018 and the L.A. Angels for MLB.com from 2012 to 2016.
MIAMI — The Los Angeles Dodgers‘ recent series at the Atlanta Braves marked the first time in more than three months that Shohei Ohtani went four consecutive games without a home run or a stolen base. It was a rut he had not been in since June 6 to 9.
Ohtani finally snapped that streak on Tuesday, hitting a third-inning home run in an 11-9 loss to the lowly Miami Marlins.
Ohtani, who has 48 homers and 48 steals with 11 games remaining, said he is “just one little thing away” from feeling good with the mechanics of his swing again. He also denied feeling any pressure to become the first player in baseball history to reach the 50/50 mark before the regular season wraps.
“No pressure,” Ohtani said through an interpreter. “Just trying to maintain quality at-bats regardless of the situation. It’s something I’ve been trying to do over the course of the entire season.”
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Ohtani trails only Aaron Judge (53) for the major league lead in homers and only Elly De La Cruz (64) for the major league lead in steals while hitting .287/.372/.611 — numbers that seemingly have him on pace to become the first full-time designated hitter to win an MVP, especially considering New York Mets star Francisco Lindor‘s recent back injury. Ohtani’s power has been on display throughout the year, but his batting average (.236) and on-base percentage (.301) have fallen off since the start of August.
Lately, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said he has noticed that the 50/50 milestone is “front of mind” for Ohtani, even if it isn’t necessarily providing pressure. Roberts has observed Ohtani pulling pitches more frequently rather than spraying them into the gaps, which is triggering more predetermined swings as opposed to seeing pitches deeper into the strike zone.
“And I do feel that’s somewhat natural,” Roberts said. “I just think he wants to get it over with — but with the fact that he’s still trying to compete and help us win baseball games.”
Roberts recently opened the door to Ohtani potentially pitching in the postseason, saying the chances are “very slim” but “not zero.”
Ohtani has been intermittently throwing bullpen sessions and could face hitters soon. He and the Dodgers’ pitching coaches have not talked about him contributing off the mound in the playoffs, a circumstance that might not even be possible until the World Series. But Ohtani said they’ll all meet when the team returns to L.A. this weekend to discuss the rest of his rehab schedule.
Asked if he believes he could physically do it, given the toll of returning from major elbow surgery in a high-pressure environment, Ohtani gave a wry smile.
“I am not sure,” he said.
