LOS ANGELES — Just when it seemed everything was going the Dodgers’ way, disaster may have struck in the bottom of the seventh of the Dodgers 4-2 win in Game 2 of the World Series, as Shohei Ohtani had to be helped off the field after he appeared to injure his left arm.
Ohtani suffered the injury as he attempted to steal second base with two outs in the seventh and when he slid, he planted his left hand and jammed it.
The force of the play may have resulted in a shoulder injury.
Ohtani called for time and laid on the ground at second base, as a previously raucous Dodger Stadium crowd grew quiet.
Dave Roberts and the training staff attended to Ohtani, who was helped to his feet and kept his arm still as he walked off the field.
Ohtani is in his first year with Los Angeles after signing a 10-year, $700 million contract in the offseason.
He didn’t pitch this year after undergoing Tommy John surgery in September 2023 while with the Angels.
There was speculation Ohtani could return to the mound this postseason before the Dodgers shut it down and now they have another potentially serious injury to worry about.
Ohtani is coming off a one-of-a-kind regular season during which he became the first player in MLB history to hit 50 homers and 50 stolen bases.
The accomplishment led Aaron Judge to call Ohtani “the best player in the game” before the World Series began.
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The 30-year-old Ohtani is playing in his first postseason after missing out on October in each of his first six seasons in the majors and homered three times in the first two rounds of the postseason before going 1-for-5 in the Dodgers’ Game 1 win and 0-for-3 with a walk in Game 2.
It was directly after his walk with one out in the seventh that Ohtani attempted the potentially fateful steal that could have repercussions long after the World Series is over.