Due to the plethora of injuries suffered throughout the year, the current starting rotation for the Los Angeles Dodgers heading into the World Series isn’t exactly what anyone would call overly deep.
Jack Flaherty has seen his velocity dip a bit, and after one good start versus the Mets in Game 1 of the NLCS, everything else has been average-to-bad. Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Walker Buehler have seemingly ramped up over the last couple of starts. Each pitcher has shown flashes of being dominant — though they’re only flashes. Neither Buehler nor Yamamoto seem like a bet to pitch beyond the fifth inning of any start moving forward.
In terms of other options, there’s not much left. Ben Casparius and Brent Honeywell are firmly entrenched as the long relievers on this roster. Landon Knack was abysmal in his efforts versus the Mets, and could very well be left off this roster completely. With Clayton Kershaw, Tyler Glasnow, Dustin May, River Ryan, Emmet Sheehan, Tony Gonsolin, and Bobby Miller not walking through that door anytime soon, is there any remote chance that we may see the best player in the game take the bump in what would be the biggest shocker ever?
Of course, we’re talking about Shohei Ohtani — the man who can hit 500-foot home runs and throw 100 miles per hour. He’s been recovering all year from Tommy John surgery. Over the last month or so, reports indicate that he has ramped up his return to the mound. This includes long toss and pitching bullpen sessions.
Of course, the Dodgers have been very coy about his progression back from the surgery. While admitting that he’s been pitching off to the side, no one within the Dodgers’ brass has intimated that Ohtani could pitch in a World Series. Manager Dave Roberts shot down the motion Thursday afternoon during the World Series media scrum.
Still, there’s something alluring about this possibility. In a World Series featuring the two most iconic franchises in the sport, seeing the game’s best player make a surprise return out of the bullpen would literally blow the invisible roof off Dodger Stadium. If Ohtani went to Roberts during a pressure-packed situation and asked to pitch, would the manager acquiesce? Or, would LA see the bigger picture in wanting Ohtani to get fully back with patience for next year’s regular season?
While fun to think about, it’s unlikely we’ll see Ohtani take the mound in this series. However, we can never say ‘never’ until these games are played…
