Dodgers' Roberts flags Ohtani's habit of chasing pitches outside the zone
In short
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Shohei Ohtani is chasing pitches out of the strike zone and struggling to take a good swing, after Los Angeles lost 2-3 to the Atlanta Braves in Game 2 of their National League Division Series, Yahoo! News Japan and Nippon TV News reported. Ohtani batted second as designated hitter and went 1-for-4 with two strikeouts, and the series is tied 1-1. Yahoo! News Japan said Roberts also made a request of Ohtani ahead of Game 3.
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The Los Angeles Dodgers lost 2-3 to the Atlanta Braves in Los Angeles on Oct. 4, leaving their National League Division Series tied at one win apiece, Yahoo! News Japan reported. Shohei Ohtani, batting second as designated hitter, went 1-for-4 with two strikeouts and recorded a hit in a second straight game. With the Dodgers trailing by a run in the third inning, one out and runners on first and second, Ohtani chased a pitch out of the strike zone and flew out to shortstop, the outlet said. [ 1 ]
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts pointed to Ohtani's habit of swinging at pitches outside the zone. According to Yahoo! News Japan, Roberts said Ohtani “cannot take a good swing when he chases pitches out of the zone.” Nippon TV News reported Roberts as saying Ohtani “often swings at pitches out of the zone; it must be difficult for him to take a good swing.” Yahoo! News Japan added that Roberts also made a request of Ohtani ahead of Game 3. [ 1 , 3 ]
The two outlets differed in wording and in timing. Yahoo! News Japan published its reports at 14:23 and 14:42, and Nippon TV News published its account at 18:00. The documents do not state what Roberts asked Ohtani to change for Game 3, nor how the Dodgers intend to approach the next game. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Why it matters
Ohtani is one of the most closely followed players in Japanese media, so a manager's public remarks about his swing ahead of a tied playoff series travel quickly at home. The documents point to form and approach at the plate rather than any injury or lineup change, and they do not indicate what the Dodgers expect to adjust for Game 3.
Key facts
- The Dodgers lost 2-3 to the Atlanta Braves in Los Angeles on Oct. 4, leaving their National League Division Series tied at 1-1, according to Yahoo! News Japan. [ 1 ]
- Shohei Ohtani started as designated hitter batting second and went 1-for-4 with two strikeouts, hitting safely in a second straight game, Yahoo! News Japan reported. [ 1 ]
- In the third inning, with one out, runners on first and second and the Dodgers trailing by a run, Ohtani chased a pitch outside the strike zone and flew out to shortstop, according to Yahoo! News Japan. [ 1 ]
- Manager Dave Roberts said Ohtani chases pitches out of the strike zone and cannot take a good swing, Yahoo! News Japan and Nippon TV News reported. [ 1 , 3 ]
- Yahoo! News Japan said Roberts also made a request of Ohtani ahead of Game 3. [ 1 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- Nothing is confirmed by two independent outlets yet.
Still unclear
- The exact wording of Roberts' comment differs between the outlets' accounts. Yahoo! News Japan and Nippon TV News give different phrasing, and Nippon TV News published only a summary, so the precise quoted sentence cannot be fixed from the documents.
- What Roberts asked of Ohtani ahead of Game 3. Only Yahoo! News Japan mentions a request being made, and it does not say what the request was.
- Details of Game 2 beyond the score and Ohtani's batting line. The score and Ohtani's statistics appear only in one document, Yahoo! News Japan's article.
- Dodgers manager Dave Roberts pointed to Ohtani's habit of swinging at pitches outside the strike zone as a problem, saying he cannot take a good swing when he chases them. Reported by a single source so far
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- Yahoo! News Japan publishes a report on Dodgers manager Dave Roberts' comments about Shohei Ohtani after the Dodgers' 2-3 loss to the Braves. [ 1 ]
- Yahoo! News Japan publishes a second item carrying the same headline theme of Roberts pointing out Ohtani's habit. [ 2 ]
- Nippon TV News publishes Roberts' analysis of Ohtani swinging at pitches out of the strike zone. [ 3 ]