Pitcher Ohtani, who will debut in autumn baseball for the first time in eight years, is likely to start the first game of the Dodgers' WCS, which is not able to go straight to the rotation DS
Sep 24, 2025
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To go straight to the Division Series, the Dodgers need to be in the top two in the NL, with 88 wins and 68 losses as of the 23rd (Korea time), ranking third behind the Milwaukee Brewers (95 wins and 62 losses) in the Central Division and the Philadelphia Phillies (92 wins and 64 losses) in the East Division. It is virtually impossible to come from behind in the remaining six games because it does not have a tiebreaker due to a four-game gap with Philadelphia.
For the Dodgers, who have to play WCS for the first time in four years since 2021, the role of starting pitchers has become more important than any other season. But there is nothing much to worry about. This is because the selection team is overflowing. The Dodgers' starting pitcher's batting average in the second half of the year was 0.204, ranking first among the 30 teams.
Yamamoto Yoshinobu (0.163), Tyler Glasnow (0.176), and Emmett Sian (0.180) are showing off their powerful pitches with a hit rate in the second half of the year, while Blake Snell (0.220), Clayton Kershaw (0.240), and Shohei Ohtani (0.242) are also reliable. The Dodgers, which is running a six-man rotation, need to select four starters to use in the postseason, but it is more worrisome to select the two that need to be turned into the bullpen.
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Ohtani, who returned in mid-June after a year and a half of pitching rehabilitation after Tommy John surgery, gradually increased his pitching innings to the point where he can take full responsibility for five innings now. Throwing 41 innings in 13 games, he has a 3.29 ERA, a 1.07 WHIP, a 0.227 hit rate, 54 strikeouts and 9 walks. His fastball speed is up to 101.7 miles and average 98.5 miles, and his ball control and game management ability are impeccable. It's a fault that he can only throw five innings, but it doesn't matter much in the postseason anyway.
With Ohtani joining the rotation in earnest, the Dodgers' starters are evaluated as the `best' of all clubs.
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Reporter Kylie McDaniel, who wrote the article, 'Many people were buzzing when Yamamoto allowed five runs in one inning in his big league debut last year and posted a 4.50 ERA in the next five games. However, since then, Yamamoto's overall ERA in the big leagues has not exceeded 3.00. This is thanks to the above-average strikeout rate, walk rate, and ground ball induction rate. War is seventh among pitchers this year, and one of the Cy Young Award candidates who is dubbed the aceThe reason why Juss was ranked No. 1 in the rankings was explained.
That doesn't mean that other starters will fall in level. Reporter McDaniel said 'The rest of the starters are not as certain as Yamamoto, but they have a lot of ability. Glasnow and Snell form the top four with Kershaw, with Ohtani and Sieon also being able to start depending on the series situation at any time.
Then, who is the starting pitcher for the first game of the WCS. If the postseason matches are made in the current rankings, the Dodgers' WCS opponent is the Cincinnati Reds. If the current rotation continues to the end of the season, Ohtani will be selected in the first round of the WCS on October 1.
The Dodgers selected Ohtani, Snell and Yamamoto in order to select three consecutive away games against the Arizona Diamondbacks from the 24th to the 26th. All three pitchers will take their last appearance in the regular season this year. If Ohtani finishes the game against Arizona on the 24th, he can take the mound in the first game of the WCS after taking six days off. The Dodgers have yet to confirm the No. 1 spot in the district, nor have they given up chasing Philadelphia. If both of these are confirmed, the rotation may be different.
However, at least Ohtani is the most likely starter in the first round of the WCS.
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Ohtani hasn't thrown in the postseason yet. Last year, he played his first fall baseball as a batter in a Dodgers uniform. This year, he is pitching to hitters. This is why the first game of the WCS is receiving more attention.
'Pitcher'Otani's PS debut?
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
