Shohei Ohtani returns from a shoulder injury and goes hitless as the Dodgers take a 3-0 lead in the World Series

NEW YORK (AP) — Shohei Ohtani was not on the team bus from Dodger Stadium to Los Angeles International Airport because he was undergoing tests Saturday night after partially separating his left shoulder in Game 2 of the World Series.

So the Japanese star reached out to other Dodgers players in a group chat to dispel any doubts about his status.

“The text literally said, 'I can play,'” infielder Max Muncy recalled Monday. “I mean, there was more than that.”

True to his word, Ohtani remained in the lineup in his regular leadoff slot as the designated hitter Game 3 of the World Series. He led off the game and scored on Freddie Freeman's two-run home run that opened the game Dodgers to a 4-2 win over the New York Yankees and a 3-0 lead in the World Series.

Ohtani was 0 for 3 with a walk and was hit by a pitch. He looked uncomfortable as he winced and grimaced as he swung.

“Balls that were gone and he was chasing a little bit, I saw a few twitches,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said.

Ohtani fell to 1 for 11 with no RBIs in the series.

“If it had been more of the right shoulder, I think it would have had an impact on my swing,” he said through an interpreter. “Luckily it was my left, so I don’t think it was real.”

He was the only Dodgers starter to wear a warm-up jacket during pregame introductions and high-five his teammates with his right hand. A black wrap could be seen over his left shoulder, which Ohtani said was intended to keep his shoulder warm.

He didn't swing in his first plate appearance, taking four balls from Clarke Schmidt. Ohtani held his left arm diagonally across his chest at first base, grabbed his collar with his hand and held it there as he rounded the bases on Freeman's home run.

Ohtani landed in the third and held his hand to his chest as he jogged back to the dugout. He struck out in the fourth round and fouled out in the seventh.

“The reason I held on while running is to make sure I don't use the same shoulder arm if I slip,” he said.

Ohtani said he wasn't sure if he would need offseason surgery.

“I have not had any further discussions about the future plan,” he said. “I think that will happen when the season is over. Run additional tests. But the way I feel now, I don’t think so.”

Muncy said Ohtani wrote the Saturday night text himself in English, without the help of interpreter Will Ireton.

“We all said, ‘Okay, he’s got us. “We’ll be prepared for him to be in the lineup,” Muncy recalled.

Roberts didn't receive the text message — “This group chat is for us — this is for the players,” Muncy said — and didn't learn about it until Monday.

“Would have been helpful if I had been in this thread. I would have slept better on Saturday night,” the manager said with a smile.

Ohtani was injured slid into second base when he was caught stealing to end the seventh inning the 4-2 win in game 2. Roberts said Ohtani's shoulder was put back in place by athletic training staff at the ballpark and an MRI showed no structural damage.

“I was really worried about whether I was safe or out,” Ohtani said. “It wasn’t until I went back in that we had to figure out what it was.”

Asked whether Ohtani had received medication or an injection or whether he had been treated with patches, Roberts said: “It applies to everything that was said above about treatment and so on.” The band is just protective and stabilizing, not really restrictive. “

Ohtani hit a tee shot in a Yankee Stadium batting cage Sunday night and hit balls at 102 miles per hour, turning Roberts' mood into “joy.”

“He was adamant he was going to play,” Roberts said. “Of course there is some discomfort.”

A separated shoulder puts you at risk of a recurrence. Roberts said he doubts Ohtani will attempt any more stolen bases during the series.

Ohtani batted .245 with three home runs and 10 RBIs in his first MLB postseason. A two-time AL MVP With the Los Angeles Angels, Ohtani joined the Dodgers for a record last December $700 million, 10-year contract.

The 30-year-old slugger hit .310 with 54 home runs, 130 RBIs and 59 stolen bases, becoming the first player with at least 50 homers and 50 stolen bases in a season. The two-way star hasn't pitched this season while recovering Elbow surgery on September 19, 2023and was limited to the designated hitter.

Now he's one win away from the goal he set for himself when he signed with the Dodgers after six losing seasons with the Angels.

“It was always my childhood dream to be able to be in an important situation and play in important games,” he said before the start of the postseason.

The pain didn't stop him.

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