Shohei Ohtani required X-rays after being hit on the arm by a pitch Sunday, but he is “fine,” according to Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts.
The hit-by-pitch occurred in the eighth inning of Los Angeles’ 3-1 win over the Tampa Bay Rays, drawing boos from a home Dodgers crowd worried about the health of the NL MVP favorite.
With Ohtani leading off, Richard Lovelady threw a 92 mph sinker inside on a 2-1 pitch, and it hit Ohtani on the inside of his left wrist. Ohtani grabbed his wrist in obvious pain as he jogged down the first-base line.
After umpires awarded Ohtani first base on the hit-by-pitch, he waived trainers off and opted to stay in the game. One pitch later, Mookie Betts hit a home run to left field that scored Ohtani and gave the Dodgers a 3-1 lead that stood as the final.
Ohtani did not have another scheduled plate appearance.
After the game, Roberts provided an update on Ohtani’s condition while speaking with reporters.
“Ohtani’s OK,” Roberts said. “I think they took some scans, and I heard they were negative. He’s fine.”
The Dodgers have been hobbled by injuries this season, including a hit-by-pitch that fractured Betts’ left hand and sidelined him for nearly two months. With 31 games remaining in the regular season and the postseason beginning in five weeks, a fracture to Ohtani’s wrist could’ve been a devastating blow to the Dodgers’ World Series hopes.
Fortunately for Ohtani and the Dodgers, Sunday’s incident appeared to be just a scare.
“It’s really scary,” Roberts said. “You always hold your breath. We experienced that with Mookie a few months ago. And obviously with Shohei, a ball coming in.
“Fortunately, it hit him on the forearm. But when you start talking about little bones in the hand and things like that — 4-6 weeks this time of year, that’s a scary one.”
