Earlier this week, Aaron Boone said he hadn’t given much thought to Shohei Ohtani possibly pitching in the World Series.
The Yankees’ manager won’t have to, as Dodgers skipper Dave Roberts officially ruled the Japanese superstar out from mound work on Thursday.
“There’s no possibility, none whatsoever,” Roberts said from Dodger Stadium. “Thank you for asking.”
Ohtani, typically a two-way player, has not pitched in the first year of his 10-year, $700 million contract with the Dodgers. Los Angeles assumed that would be the case after Ohtani underwent elbow surgery in September 2023, but questions about his availability have persisted this postseason.
Roberts opened that door in September, saying the chances of Ohtani pitching in the playoffs were “not zero.” Still, seeing Ohtani on the bump was not expected, as asking him to pitch ahead of schedule would trade short-term rewards for long-term risks.
“I wouldn’t even want that for him,” Yankees pitcher Marcus Stroman said, citing injury concerns. “I don’t think that would be good.”
While Ohtani has been a dominant pitcher when healthy, the Yankees probably wouldn’t have minded seeing the two-time MVP on the hill.
The right-hander has allowed 11 earned runs over two career starts against the Yankees, both of which came while playing for the Angels. Ohtani totaled just 3.2 innings over those outings.
While Ohtani hasn’t been the best pitcher against the Yankees, he’s as dangerous as ever on offense.
Unable to pitch this season, Ohtani hit 54 homers and stole 59 bases, making him the first 50-50 player in MLB history. He added a .310/.390/.646 slash line and 130 RBI.
“He’s an impressive athlete,” Aaron Judge said. “He’s the best player in the game and a great ambassador for the sport.”
The Yankees’ Pitching Plans
With Gerrit Cole starting Game 1 of the World Series on Friday, Carlos Rodón and Clarke Schmidt will start Games 2 and 3, respectively.
As of Thursday afternoon, the Yankees had also yet to announce a decision on Nestor Cortes. The lefty expects to make the team’s World Series roster as a reliever after working his way back from a flexor strain in his left elbow, but Boone wanted to see how the pitcher got through Thursday’s workout at Dodger Stadium after throwing to live hitters earlier in the week.
Boone added that the Yankees will “probably” carry 13 pitchers, but Cortes could factor into that.
Bullpen Padding
Yankees fans will be happy to know that the concrete slab in front of Dodger Stadium’s visiting bullpen – the one that destroyed Aaron Judge’s toe last summer – is now padded up.
The concrete slab in front of the bullpen that took out Aaron Judge is now padded. #Yankees https://t.co/Pva82bAJNV pic.twitter.com/Zp13B8BY33
— Gary Phillips (@GaryHPhillips) October 24, 2024
The concrete is no longer exposed. The Dodgers made some alterations a few weeks after Judge tore a ligament in his toe crashing into the concrete on a highlight-reel catch.
