Reviewing the use of the pitching coach's bullpen, which is exactly familiar with the Ohtani rule, but today is the original day off and tomorrow?

Aug 22, 2025

Reviewing the use of the pitching coach's bullpen, which is exactly familiar with the Ohtani rule, but today is the original day off and tomorrow?
LA Dodgers Shohei Ohtani is watching the game from the bench after missing the Colorado Rockies match at Coors Field on the 22nd (Korea time). AFP Yonhap News



Reviewing the use of the pitching coach's bullpen, which is exactly familiar with the Ohtani rule, but today is the original day off and tomorrow?
Tani Shohei and Teoscar Hernandez are messing around. ImagesYonhap News
LA Dodgers Shohei Ohtani was absent from rest for the first time this season.

Ohtani watched the Colorado Rockies match at Coors Field from the bench on the 22nd (Korea time). It was a scheduled break.

Ohtani left the squad in mid-April for the birth of his wife and missed two games, the first time he missed due to injury or rest.




Before Ohtani started against Colorado the day before, manager Dave Roberts said, `Ohtani is off tomorrow. Will Smith will be the designated hitter. It was said that he had to take a rest in order to manage his physical strength because he had to play both pitching and hitting and playing the day game the next day.

However, Ohtani was bruised by a pitch during the fourth inning. In the bottom of the fourth inning, trailing 0-3, Orlando Arcia's straight hit shot hit Ohtani's right thigh. The batting speed was 93.7 miles.

Roberts and the trainer rushed to the mound. Ohtani frowned and made a painful expression, and soon continued pitching after expressing his intention that there was no problem. He got a timely hit from Tyler Freeman with two outs and runners on first and third, widening the gap to 0-5.




Ohtani, who was continuing the game as a designated hitter, was replaced by a pinch hitter in the eighth inning. This is because the thigh pain has become severe and swollen. In four innings, Ohtani was beaten by nine hits, his most in a game, and allowed five runs to lose.

Reviewing the use of the pitching coach's bullpen, which is exactly familiar with the Ohtani rule, but today is the original day off and tomorrow?
A trainer goes up to check his condition when Shohei Otani took the mound against Colorado on the 21st (Korea time) and was hit by a thigh during the fourth inning of pitching. AP Yonhap News
Fortunately, the injury was not severe. After the game at the time, Roberts said, `I don't know how fortunate it is that the thigh was hit by the ball. Because I got hit very hard. If you've been hit in the knee, it's a different story. I left a bruise on my thigh, and I felt relieved and dizzy" he said.

Ohtani reacted the same way. He "I'm so glad I didn't hit my knee. I think the worst-case scenario has been avoided. I'll do my best for treatment and rest."




Ohtani's right thigh hit by the ball is the area where he was hit by the ball about two months ago. Ohtani was struck in the right thigh by right-hander Randy Vazquez's 93.8-mile fastball in the bottom of the third inning against San Diego at Dodger Stadium on June 18.

At the time, Ohtani screamed a single word when he was hit in the thigh, distorted his expression, and left the at-bat in pain for a long time. Then, Roberts rushed out of the dugout and was sent off after vehemently complaining to the center fielder that he hit it on purpose. As such, whether Ohtani is injured or not is a very sensitive issue for Roberts.

Reviewing the use of the pitching coach's bullpen, which is exactly familiar with the Ohtani rule, but today is the original day off and tomorrow?
Otani will play in the three away games against San Diego starting on the 23rd (Korea time). AFP Yonhap News
The Dodgers won 9-5 with an active lineup despite Ohtani's absence. Starter Clayton Kershaw pitched hard with six hits and three runs in five ⅔ innings, winning eight games (two losses) of the season, and Freddie Freeman hit the first two-run shot in the first inning of the lineup, and after that, he was able to win with even performance by batters.

Ohtani is scheduled to play in the first of three consecutive away games against the San Diego Padres on the 23rd. Roberts said after winning the game against Colorado "Otani is fine. Will be included in the lineup tomorrow" he said.

The Dodgers, which finished the four consecutive games with two wins and two losses against Colorado, maintained their lead in the NL West with 73 wins and 55 losses. The second-place San Diego (72 wins and 56 losses) also beat the San Francisco Giants 8-4, maintaining its one-game win over the Dodgers.

Meanwhile, opinions have been raised that Ohtani can be turned into a bullpen in the postseason, drawing attention.

Dodgers pitching coach Mark Prior is reviewing it in an interview with the podcast `Dan Patrick Shaw" on the 22nd. I am well aware of the rules when using Ohtani as a relief pitcher. When starting, you can continue the game as a designated hitter even if you finish pitching, but if you play as a designated hitter and then change your position to a relief pitcher, you can't play as a designated hitter again"So it's a possible scenario at the end of the game or when Ohtani is judged to have no more chances to bat."

Roberts responded, `It's being discussed internally. However, until it becomes visible to some extent, there is still a lot of work to be done."





This article was translated by Naver AI translator.