In a tense moment during Game 2 of the World Series, Shohei Ohtani injured his shoulder while sliding into second base in the seventh inning. This mishap overshadowed the Los Angeles Dodgers’ 4-2 win, which gave them a 2-0 series lead against the New York Yankees.
Ohtani’s slide ended with him being caught stealing, and he fell to the ground, clearly in pain. His teammates, fans, and the entire stadium fell silent as he struggled to get back up. According to MLB.com, Ohtani indicated that he had hurt his left shoulder before being helped off the field by Dodgers manager Dave Roberts and a trainer.
Teammate Teoscar Hernández expressed concern, saying, “Hopefully he’s OK, and the day off (Sunday) will help him recover.” After the game, Roberts announced that Ohtani had suffered a shoulder subluxation and would undergo an MRI to assess the injury’s severity.
“The strength is great, and the range of motion is good, which is a positive,” Roberts noted, expressing optimism that Ohtani would be back in the lineup shortly.
The MRI results will shed light on how this injury could impact Ohtani, the Dodgers’ designated hitter and a strong contender for the National League MVP award, for the remainder of the series.
At the time of Ohtani’s injury, the Dodgers were leading 4-1. However, the Yankees made a late-game push in the ninth inning. After replacing pitcher Michael Kopech, Blake Treinen allowed Juan Soto to reach base and subsequently gave up an RBI single to Giancarlo Stanton, putting New York on the scoreboard.
Despite the Yankees loading the bases, Treinen managed to strike out Anthony Volpe before Alex Vesia stepped in to secure the final out, finishing the game with a flyball catch from Jose Trevino.
This marked a significant step towards the Dodgers’ first championship in four years, while the Yankees faced pressure to win Game 3 on Monday at Yankee Stadium. Dodgers starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto pitched brilliantly, allowing just one hit over 6.1 innings—an impressive solo home run by Soto. Contributing to the Dodgers’ offense, Hernández, Tommy Edman, and Freddie Freeman all hit home runs, with Freeman receiving a standing ovation from a crowd of 52,725 the day after he made history with the first walk-off grand slam in World Series history.