PHOENIX — On nights like Thursday, Shohei Ohtani should be a game-changing option for the Dodgers coming off the bench.
But this time, he was left out of action in a loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks, unable to contribute as the final lifeline.
Just a day after pitching six scoreless innings and reaching base five times, Ohtani did not start in the final game at Chase Field. The Dodgers had planned for some scheduled rest following his outing, a strategy they had hinted would be used more often this season.
The idea behind this plan is pretty appealing; it allows him to remain available as a pinch hitter even on days he isn’t starting.
And on this disappointing night, it looked like there might be a moment for him to shine.
In the ninth inning, with the score tied, Ohtani was in the dugout, wearing his gear, as Will Smith hit a double with two outs. Suddenly, the Dodgers were in a prime scoring situation with the go-ahead run on second. However, they faced a tough matchup: Paul Sewald, a right-handed closer from Arizona, against Santiago Espinal, a right-handed utility player who isn’t known for his hitting.
This situation didn’t seem ideal for Ohtani to step in—it’s likely he was intentionally walked.
However, a bigger issue loomed: Ohtani was the last option on the bench, and he wasn’t expected to take the field defensively.
By this point, the Dodgers had already used up their other substitutes. Espinal came in for Max Muncy, who had taken a nasty hit earlier in the game. Alex Cole replaced Ryan Ward in the seventh and later came on for defense. Miguel Rojas pinch-hit for Alex Freeland and started the eighth inning, leaving Ohtani with no one left behind him.
This left Ohtani with few choices.
If he pinched hit for Espinal, either he would have to play defense afterward, which was not the plan, or the team would have to adjust the designated hitter, currently occupied by Smith.
Could they have moved Smith to catcher, Dalton Rushing to first, and Freddie Freeman to third? Possibly, but doing that at such a tense moment didn’t seem wise to manager Dave Roberts.
After the game, Roberts explained that Ohtani could be a valuable pinch hitter, but “it has to be the right spot.” He mentioned wanting to avoid stressing about defense after bringing in Ohtani.
So, Espinal stayed in and ended up striking out.
The Dodgers did get a walk late in the inning.
“We could have gone with Shohei,” Roberts noted. “But they let him walk, and we were still left with decisions to make.” By the ninth inning, they were scrambling, completely out of options. For Roberts, it felt like choosing to save that critical shot for an uncertain outcome.
If the game had pushed into the tenth, Roberts was considering pinch-hitting for Ohtani anyway. After that, they just focused on defensive strategies.
Unfortunately, the game didn’t extend that far.
Ohtani remained seated, and the Dodgers walked away with a disappointing loss.
Roberts later admitted he wanted to avoid using Ohtani throughout the game, emphasizing that “pinch-hitting him is even trickier on the road, especially with the need to defend if we don’t score.”
