Shohei Ohtani is like the wild card in the card game Uno in that his play can often dictate how the Dodgers—and entire series as a whole—will fare. As National League Championship Series MVP, Ohtani's two-way prowess was on full display during the Dodgers' Game 4 victory, in which he belted three home runs as a hitter and struck out 10 batters over six scoreless innings as a pitcher. Ohtani has continued to amaze in the World Series against the Blue Jays, and he is set to take center stage once again in Game 7 on Saturday night.
The Dodgers earlier Saturday announced that Ohtani will start Game 7 against the Blue Jays, meaning he will also reprise his role as the club's designated hitter.
But, keeping the so-called Ohtani Rule in mind, there are a multitude of other ways Los Angeles could utilize Ohtani. First, let's dive into the rulebook.
What is the "Ohtani Rule?"
While the rule technically isn't named after Ohtani, it has become associated with him given that he's the only player—so far—that the rule largely applies to. Beginning in 2022, the MLB introduced a rule that coincided with the implementation of the designated hitter full time in the National League.
The rule states that if the starting pitcher is also in the lineup as the DH, he can remain as the DH even if he is removed as the pitcher. In the past, if the starting pitcher was also in the lineup, the DH was forfeited and a relief pitcher occupied his spot in the lineup. In starting Ohtani in Game 7, the Dodgers will be making use of the Ohtani Rule as they have for much of the regular season and postseason.
But there are other ways, within the rules, that Los Angeles could use the two-way star.
How could the "Ohtani Rule" affect Game 7?Ohtani starts the game, leaves for a reliever and remains the DH, then returns to close the game
Ohtani entering the game in relief would have been a possibility even if he wasn't named Saturday's starter. Amazingly, it's still a possibility that he could be the game's starting pitcher and come into the game later on as a relief pitcher.
Here's how.
Ohtani could start, be removed from the game in favor of a Dodgers reliever, and remain the team's designated hitter as he always does per the "Ohtani Rule." Here‘s where the twist comes into play. If the Dodgers are clinging to a ninth-inning lead and require his services once more, Ohtani could then re-enter the game as a relief pitcher, but the Dodgers would forfeit the DH spot. Just imagine the peak theater that Ohtani re-entering Game 7 of the World Series as a closer would be. However, this also means that if the game were to continue beyond the ninth inning, a pitcher or pinch hitter would be required to bat in the Dodgers' lineup and Ohtani would not be able to hit again unless…
Ohtani starts the game, leaves for a reliever and remains the DH, then returns to close the game, then becomes an outfielder
This would be the work-around to losing Ohtani's bat after his relief appearance, should the game play out that way. We saw the Dodgers and Blue Jays play an 18-inning contest in Game 3, so another extra innings affair can't be ruled out. Should that happen, Ohtani, after exiting as a reliever, could remain in the lineup as an outfielder. It's a position that Ohtani played in the Nippon Professional Baseball league in Japan, appearing in 62 games for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters. However, he has not played the outfield since 2021, when he made six appearances for the Angels. It would be pretty amazing to see Ohtani be a starting pitcher, hitter, relief pitcher and outfielder all in the same game.
This scenario would seem to be less likely than the previous, but Dodgers manager Dave Roberts left all options on the table for Ohtani.
"We’ll talk about everything,” Roberts had said on Ohtani playing outfield. “We’ll talk through whatever’s the best. If we get to that point, we’ll see, but he’s not going to play the outfield [in Game 6], I do know that. But, if we get to Game 7, we’ll have a good discussion about everything."
With a repeat championship on the line in Game 7, everything could indeed be on the table for the Dodgers when it comes to Ohtani.
