Shohei Ohtani a possibility to start Game 7 of World Series

By IAN HARRISON

TORONTO (AP) — Shohei Ohtani might start Game 7 of the World Series on Saturday. Tyler Glasnow might pitch on back-to-back days. For Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, the only certainty is that Yoshinobu Yamamoto won’t pitch. Besides that?

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“Everyone will be available,” Roberts said.

The Dodgers survived a wild ninth inning to hold off the Toronto Blue Jays 3-1 in Game 6, forcing the winner-take-all showdown Saturday, starting at 5 p.m. Pacific time. Three-time Cy Young Award winner and former Dodger Max Scherzer is expected to start for the Blue Jays.

The Dodgers pitching plans are less certain, but they do include two-way Ohtani in some fashion. Roberts said Thursday that he’d consider using Ohtani as an opener or even as an outfielder in Game 7, and stuck with that after Game 6.

“I think right now, there’s no wrong answer,” Roberts said. “He’s certainly going to be a part of the pitching plan. With Shohei it could be two innings, but it could be four innings. So I’m not sure where we’re going to slot him. We’re going to have to talk to him first on where he feels most comfortable.”

If Ohtani entered as a reliever after starting the game as a designated hitter, he would need to play a position after pitching to remain in the game. The Dodgers would lose their DH.

Per MLB rules created to facilitate Ohtani’s two-way status, Ohtani can remain in the game as a DH if he begins the game as the starting pitcher.

Ohtani threw 93 pitches in Wednesday’s 6-2 loss in Game 4, allowing four runs and six hits in six innings.

Ohtani has never pitched in relief during his Major League Baseball career. He made a handful of relief appearances in Japan for the Pacific League’s Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters, mostly as a rookie in 2013. He closed out Japan’s victory in the 2023 World Baseball Classic final against the United States, striking out then-Los Angeles Angels teammate Mike Trout for the final out.

Ohtani made seven outfield appearances with the Angels in 2021, the year before a rule was changed allowing starting pitchers to stay in games at DH after being removed from mound appearances.

Roberts surprised many by using Glasnow out of the bullpen to close out Game 6. Glasnow, Saturday’s presumed starter, began warming in the ninth inning and relieved Roki Sasaki with runners on second and third and no outs. He got three outs on three pitches, including a popup by Ernie Clement and a line drive from Andres Gimenez that turned into a game-ending double play.

“I just felt right there, Roki wasn’t as sharp,” Roberts said. “Glas is a guy who has swing-and-miss stuff and I just wanted to bet on him. He’s been champing at the bit to make an impact.”

Glasnow allowed four runs, two earned, and five hits in 4 2/3 innings in Game 3, which the Dodgers won 6-5 in 18 innings.

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