Shohei Ohtani sustained a shoulder injury in Game 2 of the World Series, leaving a previously jubilant Dodger Stadium stunned as he left the field with a trainer.
Ohtani was thrown out attempting to steal second base to end the bottom of the seventh inning and stayed on the ground in clear pain. He was holding his left arm, which took the brunt of his weight as he slid into second.
Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal later reported it was a shoulder injury.
Ohtani did not officially leave the game because the inning was over and he is the Dodgers’ designated hitter, so Los Angeles didn’t need to replace him until his next at-bat.
The Dodgers were up 4-1 at the time of the injury, but any significant Ohtani injury would be awful for them, as well as baseball in general. The 2024 World Series was set up as Ohtani’s first appearance on baseball’s biggest stage, with the ratings to match.
Instead, the Dodgers and their fans will be holding their breath as the series heads to New York, with Game 3 scheduled for Monday.
Stealing bases had been the story of Ohtani’s season, as he went from a fast but inefficient baserunner to one of the best in baseball in his first season with the Dodgers. He made MLB history with the first ever 50-50 season, finishing the year with 59 steals on 63 attempts, but the postseason was another story for that skill. The play where he was injured as only his second attempt of the playoffs, with no successes.
