The Los Angeles Dodgers and Toronto Blue Jays delivered seven pulse-pounding games during the World Series, one of which was an 18-inning marathon.
One of the reasons Game 3 lasted so long was that Shohei Ohtani was intentionally walked four times after the eighth inning. The Blue Jays certainly were within reason, as Ohtani had already gone 4-for-4 with two doubles and two home runs up to that point.
Regulating or even outright banning the intentional walk became a topic of conversation during the World Series, with Dodgers manager Dave Roberts and Freddie Freeman understanding frustration from fans but defending the validity of the tactic.
“I think the last few years it’s been about speeding up the game, and I think that intentional walk just stops from four pitches and keeps the game going,” Freeman noted. “But it’s all strategy, routine. I mean, I don’t want Shohei — if I was a manager — to beat me. So you got to let the other guys beat ’em.
Even if it’s not what fans want to see, the manager’s job is to put his team in the best position to win.
“They’re trying to win a game. That’s what baseball is,” Freeman continued. “One team’s got to win and they’re trying to do the best they can to win the game. And if that’s to take Shohei out of the lineup, and not pitch to him, then that’s what they got to do. But that means Shohei’s on base, so that’s also good for the Dodgers.”
Roberts recognized his bias as a manager, but still came to the conclusion that the intentional walk has its place in the game.
“Yeah, I understand that, and obviously, for me on the bias side, I would probably say I wish we could outlaw that because it would benefit the Dodgers,” he said.
“But I think in totality, it’s still a strategy and it’s not applicable to every team that’s not the Dodgers, right? So I think that it’s just hard to make a rule and be so affected by the World Series and not pitching to Shohei.
“So, yeah, I’m trying to be non-biased, but I do think there’s some strategy to it, though.”
How much were Dodgers affected by intentional walks in 2025?
Game 3 of the World Series was an extreme case that isn’t entirely reflective of how prominent the intentional walk is. Every playoff game inherently has increased stakes, especially the World Series, which causes managers to make more conservative decisions.
Ohtani being intentionally walked four times in one game was really the result of the perfect storm. Giving the opposing team a free base runner with the bases empty is not a common occurrence but was made possible by the lack of protection from Mookie Betts and others in the lineup.
It is usually reserved for avoiding dangerous hitters with a runner already in scoring position or to gain a more favorable matchup, among other uncommon situations.
In reality, intentional walks were not a huge issue for the Dodgers or Ohtani in 2025. The team had 33 such instances during the 2025 season. Ohtani was responsible for 20 of those in 725 plate appearances, just 2.76% of the time.
Mookie Betts often followed with a timely hit to further make the Dodgers’ opponent pay for their decision.
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