TORONTO — Shohei Ohtani will not be part of the Dodgers pitching plans in Game 6, manager Dave Roberts said during his pregame media availability on Friday.
As for a potential Game 7 on Saturday night? That remains a distinct possibility — if the Dodgers can get there.
“Right now, we’re just focused on today,” Roberts said. “Shohei’s not a part of the pitching plan today. When we win this game tonight, then we can kind of circle up and have that conversation for tomorrow.”
He became the first starter in 24 years to pitch consecutive complete games in the postseason, so it’s possible Roberts wouldn’t need to go to his bullpen at all. But if he does, there are obvious questions in the middle innings, leading to closer Roki Sasaki.
“[Yamamoto] is the No. 1 option, and we’re going to kind of watch how he’s throwing the baseball,” Roberts said. “This is a must-win game. But, yeah, there’s a few [relievers] that I’m going to go to tonight.”
Ohtani is apparently not one of them. As for Saturday, the Game 7 decision is a complex one. The Dodgers would have Tyler Glasnow lined up to start the game — though Roberts noted that Glasnow would be available out of the bullpen for Game 6. Ohtani, however, comes with a different set of rules as a two-way player.
When Ohtani starts a game on the mound and is replaced, he is able to remain in the game as the designated hitter. But if he were to start the game as the DH and then pitch in relief, the Dodgers would lose the DH once Ohtani’s pitching appearance ends.
So it’s possible the Dodgers would save Ohtani only for a circumstance in which they knew he could finish the game. Or they could choose to use him as an opener and plan for a shorter start on three days’ rest.
Ohtani has only pitched on three days’ rest once in his big league career — in April 2023, when the first of those starts was cut short by a rain delay after 31 pitches. (For what it’s worth, Ohtani struck out 11 Royals over seven scoreless innings three days later.) Aside from that outing, however, Ohtani has never even pitched on four days’ rest, as his usage on the mound has been closely monitored, given his unique skill set.
As for a potential relief outing, he made a particularly memorable one to close out the 2023 World Baseball Classic for Team Japan. The Dodgers haven’t mapped out the logistics of that just yet — asking Ohtani to pitch in relief, while also handling hitting duties.
“I’m not going to have an answer for that one tonight,” Roberts said. “Give me a night to think about that one.”
