Los Angeles Dodgers Dodgers two-way superstar Shoe Hei hopes he can start his next mound starting after his right hip convulsions shortened his outing on Wednesday night.
Otani was scheduled to be in four innings on a hot, humid night against the Cincinnati Reds, but left without a run in the fourth after throwing six straight balls, including two consecutive wild pitches.
The 31-year-old governing NL MVP said he began convulsions in his first innings.
“I just tried to get around that. I could do that up to the third, but it didn’t work out in the fourth,” Otani said through an interpreter after the Dodgers’ 5-2 defeat.
Otani and manager Dave Roberts both blamed weather convulsions. The initial pitch temperature was 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 degrees Celsius), with a heat index of nearly 100.
Roberts went out with his trainer after Otani threw an 86.3 mph sweeper outside the strike zone with a 2-0 count at Spencer Steer. After a meeting on the mound, Otani left with his trainer.
“I just saw a funky throw. The follow-through didn’t look right, and he threw another pitch. “I didn’t know what it was, so it was very worried. He said it was his hips. I spoke to him and he said it was humidity.
Otani, who leads the NL with 38 home runs, remained in the designated hitter game, but the day after attacking four times, it was five minutes. He hit a line drive to Fielder Wilbenson at Cincinnati Center and made it to the finals.
“I don’t defend, that helped, but at the same time we were playing a close game and wanted to help the team win,” Ohtani said.
This was Otani’s seventh mound start, his comeback from Tommy John’s surgery on the right elbow that occurred after the 2023 season. He didn’t do his first pitching for the Dodgers after signing a 10-year, $700 million contract last season, but he appeared on DH – finishing with 54 Homer and 59 stolen bases, winning his third MVP award.
It was cut short, but it was still Otani’s longest outing in his pitching comeback.
He pitched 51 and 32 pitches for the strike, allowing two runs with five hits in three or more innings. He hit the four and walked two.
“The good thing about going out today is that my pitch count was where I wanted it. I think this is a step forward in a way,” said Otani, who has a 2.40 ERA in 15 innings. “It’s not good to be physically honest over the past few days.”
Otani allowed three runs in the first innings and three. He faces 63 batters and walks five with 17 hits.
The most popular pitch of his first six outings was fastball (49%) followed by sweepers (25%). Against the Reds, he threw only 14 fastballs and 29 vacuum cleaners. All eight Reds swing and misses came to the Sweeper.
“I was manipulating the way I was throwing, not the pitch type. I wasn’t trying to get deeper into the delivery. I was trying to focus on the mechanic,” Ohtani said.
Noelvi Marte led the Reds fourth with a single, and went third to Tyler Stephenson on Ohtani’s two wild pitches.
Otani throws and maneuvers two balls and is replaced by Anthony Banda. Anthony Bunda piloted, giving up Will Benson’s sacrifice fly, leading the game to two.
As long as everything is checked out, Otani’s next start will be on August 6th with St. Louis at Dodger Stadium.
“He has a week and it’s home so there’s no humidity to deal with,” Roberts said.
Otani may start to rethink about facing the red on the mound. Before Wednesday, his last pitching appearance against Cincinnati was on August 23, 2023 at the Los Angeles Angels. He left with a ligament torn to his elbow in two innings.
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