Major League Baseball (MLB) superstar Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers was replaced by a pinch hitter in his final at-bat during the. The decision wasn’t related to his knee issues but rather due to the game being out of reach.
The Dodgers suffered a 3-8 comeback loss to the New York Mets at Citi Field in New York on July 27.
Despite the loss ending their five-game winning streak, the Dodgers maintained their lead in the National League West with a 67-39 record.
Ohtani, batting leadoff as the designated hitter, went 1-for-4 with two strikeouts, dropping his season average to .282.
The two-way phenom has been limited to designated hitter (DH) duties due to left knee discomfort, and his bat has cooled off significantly. In the second half, Ohtani is hitting a mere .184 (7-for-38) without a home run.
The Dodgers held a 3-1 lead through five innings, but their bullpen faltered, surrendering back-to-back three-run homers to Tyrone Taylor in the sixth and Marcus Semien in the seventh.
Ohtani’s night included a first-inning double, strikeouts in the third and fourth, and a flyout to center in the seventh. With a runner on first and no outs in the ninth, manager Dave Roberts opted to pinch-hit Alex Call for Ohtani.
The move didn’t pay off, as Call and the next two Dodgers batters struck out to end the game.
Postgame, Roberts clarified that pulling Ohtani wasn’t a precautionary measure for his knee. It was down by five, and it wanted to give another guy a chance, the skipper explained.