That’s not to say Ohtani isn’t ready to junk it and help out the team on short notice as needed.
When Los Angeles Dodgers right-hander Tyler Glasnow told coaches and trainers he was suffering back stiffness, the struggling club was left in a tight spot. Ohtani was scheduled to pitch Monday after suffering through a mild illness that relegated him to simply hitting earlier this week in Pittsburgh.
Yet around 2 p.m., Ohtani discussed the notion of starting hours later with pitching coach Mark Prior. And the Dodgers had their Friday starter.
Now, it’s hardly an unprecedented act of gallantry for a pitcher to move up a couple days, particularly when he had extra rest built in. Yet the episode illustrated to the Dodgers that their greatest player is far from a diva.
In case of emergency, break glass and enjoy the Sho.
‘He is learning, as most people are, that he’s capable of making adjustments,’ says Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. ‘And I think routine is great. But I also think the desire, the will to read and react, to adjust, that’s still possible, too.
‘Shohei, to his credit, wants to pick us up. And I really admire him for that.’
Ohtani, making just his 12th start of the season on his road back from a second Tommy John surgery, was up to the task, even as Roberts intimated that a virus that slowed him in Pittsburgh would hold him back a bit.
Ohtani nonetheless shut out the Orioles over 3 2/3 innings, striking out five and leaving one baserunner on for reliever Anthony Banda, who left it stranded.
The impromptu start and the illness that precipitated it were but a mild setback in Ohtani’s steady buildup this season. In his last outing, he went five innings and struck out 10 against the Cincinnati Reds.
But Ohtani, who has struck out 49 in 36 innings this season, was largely dominant against the Orioles, exceeding 100 mph on 11 pitches.
It was a key boost of adrenaline for the Dodgers, who are clinging to a two-game lead over the San Diego Padres and fading further in the race for a first-round bye. They arrived in Baltimore having got swept out of Steel City by the lowly Pirates.
In that sense, Ohtani taking the ball wasn’t a pick-me-up solely from the innings he gives them.
‘I think it will,’ says Roberts of providing a jolt for a club that has lost five of its last six games. ‘For a guy who’s a starter that’s got a routine and going to pitch a couple days later to then change course, speaks a lot for what this team needs. I expect our guys to respond to that.’