Shohei Ohtani, the betting favorite to win World Series MVP, left Game 2 after injuring his left shoulder while attempting to steal second base in the bottom of the seventh.
With two outs in the inning and Teoscar Hernandez at-bat, Ohtani attempted to swipe his first base of the postseason but was cut down by Yankees catcher Austin Wells. New York second baseman Gleyber Torres easily made the tag on Ohtani, who jammed his left arm into the dirt as he slid feet first.
Ohtani is slow to get up after he attempted to steal 2nd. pic.twitter.com/T3Af5GRaiw
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) October 27, 2024
Ken Rosenthal reported on the FOX broadcast that the severity of Ohtani’s injury wasn’t immediately clear. Play-by-by announcer Joe Davis relayed that a Japanese network caught audio from Ohtani telling the Dodgers’ translator that Ohtani “popped [my] shoulder out.”
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told reporters after the game that Ohtani sustained a subluxation of the left shoulder, according to The Athletic's Fabian Ardaya. Roberts added that additional tests will be performed Sunday, but Ohtani's initial strength testing and range of motion were good.
Ohtani entered the weekend +200 to win the Series MVP honors, with Yankees stars Aaron Judge (+400), Juan Soto (+500), and Giancarlo Stanton (+800) with the next highest odds.
On Saturday, Ohtani went 0-for-3 with a walk and a strikeout. He went 1-for-5 with a double in Game 1. After swiping 59 bases (94 percent success rate) during the regular season, Ohtani is now 0-for-2 on steal attempts this postseason. His latest attempt could prove costly.
