Dave Roberts keeps Shohei Ohtani in Dodgers’ NLCS Game 3 lineup despite postseason struggles
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts kept Shohei Ohtani in the lineup for Game 3 of the National League Championship Series, despite Ohtani’s poor postseason hitting and ongoing injuries. Los Angeles had fallen 2-0 behind the Milwaukee Brewers, making the decision consequential as the team sought to regain momentum.
Ohtani was batting .150 after going hitless in four at-bats with two strikeouts in Game 2, and had yet to record an extra-base hit or an RBI in the playoffs. He told Roberts he felt well enough to play and believed he was close to fixing his swing; Ohtani also said his symptoms should not prevent him from hitting and took responsibility for his performance. Roberts made the call after speaking with the Dodgers’ baseball operations president and general manager.
- Roberts kept Ohtani in the lineup for Game 3.
- The Dodgers trailed the Brewers 2-0 in the NLCS.
- Ohtani was batting .150 in the postseason.
New here? Start with this
Shohei Ohtani is a star baseball player for the Los Angeles Dodgers, who compete in Major League Baseball’s National League. He is known for both pitching and hitting, though injuries can affect which parts of the game he plays.
The National League Championship Series, or NLCS, is a best-of-seven contest that decides which National League team advances to the World Series. The Dodgers’ manager, Dave Roberts, chooses the team’s line-up, weighing players’ fitness and form as well as the needs of each game.
Both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Keeping Ohtani in the lineup could be justified by his own assessment that he felt able to play and was close to correcting his swing, alongside his record as a hitter capable of changing a game. With the Dodgers trailing 2-0, Roberts may have judged that giving a key player another chance offered more upside than making a disruptive change, while respecting Ohtani’s view of his own condition.
The case against
A case for benching Ohtani is that his poor results and ongoing injuries could make him less effective and leave the team better served by a healthier, more productive option. With the series already at a critical point, Roberts could reasonably prioritise current form and reducing the risk that Ohtani’s symptoms worsen over the possibility that he soon finds his swing.