Shohei Ohtani capped off his first year with the Los Angeles Dodgers as the most important player for a team that achieved its goal by winning the World Series.
Ohtani along the way became the first player in the 50/50 club, among other accoldaes. He finished the regular season with 54 home runs and 59 stolen bases and was voted 2024 National League MVP in unanimous fashion.
Ohtani’s first postseason experience opened with him blasting a game-tying three-run home run in Game 1 of the NL Division Series against the San Diego Padres, and his presence posed issues for opposing teams through the Fall Classic.
After never before reaching the playoffs with the Los Angeles Angels, Ohtani enjoyed the challenge of getting there for the first time, per Bob Nightengale of USA Today:
“The Dodgers had a lot of success and were making the playoffs almost every year,” Ohtani said. “Obviously, I was on the Angels, and looking from the outside, it looked like it was easy for the Dodgers to make the playoffs. But when you’re part of the team, it was actually really grinding and a big struggle just to make the playoffs. The Padres were making a big push at the end, and then to fend them off, it was a tough experience.
“But it was very special, very emotional, I really enjoyed it.”
While Ohtani and the Dodgers were able to complete their primary goal of winning the World Series, not everything went well for him.
The 30-year-old year old suffered an injury to his left shoulder in Game 2 of the World Series which impacted his swing. Following the series, Ohtani underwent arthroscopic surgery to repair a torn labrum in that same shoulder.
There aren’t concerns about his availability to hit, but his timeline to return to two-way status could be pushed back a bit.
Shohei Ohtani expects to be ready by Opening Day 2025
Thankfully, the shoulder injury is on Ohtani’s none-throwing arm, so it shouldn’t affect his power at the plate or ability to pitch. As a right-handed thrower, Ohtani will just have to get his shoulder to a comfortable spot with his delivery.
He commented on his focus, stating that Opening Day for the 2025 season as a full two-way player was his main goal.
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