Dave Roberts admits Shohei Ohtani shouldn’t have been on the field to begin with

Shohei Ohtani realized his childhood dream of winning the World Series on Wednesday night in the first year of his 10-year contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Although he was in the lineup for a tight 7-6 Game 5 win over the New York Yankees, he took a huge risk by playing injured in the final three games.

Ohtani suffered a subluxated shoulder in Game 2, but he had enough strength and mobility to remain in the lineup throughout the World Series. After the Game 5 clincher, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts expressed his gratitude for the superstar designated hitter’s determination to help his team become champions.

“He was committed to us and wanted to play for a championship,” Roberts said. “What Shohei did to our baseball club, to Dodgers fans, domestically and around the world, I just don’t think you can quantify, and he’s just such a good guy, you know, he played with one hand in the postseason.”

Roberts suggested that “most of the guys (who were injured as badly as Ohtani) would probably pass out”, but Ohtani was not going to be “robbed” of a spot in the lineup, and Roberts was pleased with the result, saying “to get him up this the World Series trophy is what he dreamed of.”

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Although Ohtani did not reach the same level of dominance in the World Series as he did in the regular season, the presence of arguably the best MLB player in Dodgers history was still felt after he suffered the injury.

He finished the postseason with respectable .230 AVG, .373 OBP and .766 OPS en route to the championship, but those stats don’t count toward intangibles. Having a good guy like Shohei Ohtani in the top spots gives confidence to the entire roster.

“If Shohei is in the lineup, he’s still there,” Roberts said. “I just think he earned even more respect from his teammates by being able to play with one hand.”

At the end of the day, Ohtani and the Dodgers don’t really care how they won the championship. Winning is the important part, but the impact of Shohei Ohtani’s presence, even though he has been injured in the last few games, cannot be denied.