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The story
In Game 2 of the NL Championship Series between the Dodgers and Brewers (October 12, 2026, Milwaukee), Shohei Ohtani struck out swinging after being thrown three straight fastballs in his first at-bat. Despite being held hitless early, the Dodgers took the lead behind strong pitching from Yoshinobu Yamamoto and others, putting them in control of the game. On 5ch, Ohtani’s slump drew a wave of reactions, split between those pointing to declining bat speed and failing dynamic vision, and those calling it just a temporary rough patch. His recent batting line — “106 plate appearances without a home run, a .188 average, a .504 OPS” — was also cited, fueling concern that the slump was dragging on.
Sponichi
[ October 13, 2026, 06:15 ]
NL Championship Series Game 2, Dodgers vs. Brewers (October 12, 2026, Milwaukee)
Source: sponichi.co.jp / Original article here
What people said
Can't even get the bat on the ball
He's a total sitting duck ("kamo" — slang for an easy mark)
It's not that his form broke down from injury or that he hasn't healed up — it's "his eyesight failing."
He's done.
The other team's pitcher is just better, honestly.
For a DH, this performance would get you cut in any normal case.
798 Anonymous ("much obliged") 2026/10/12 (Mon) 13:52:26.12 ID:jQPvH8sQ0
Ohtani
106 PA, no home runs
103 PA, 1 RBI
Batting average .188 (16-3), 0 HR, 0 RBI, OPS .504
what happened to it?
Sure, it's huge when it connects,
but the bat just cuts through air.
He's the catcher so they have no choice but to start him,
but things look pretty rough all around.
So this is a genuine slump.
is there really no upside left for him?
And the Dodgers are stuck paying a guy like this a fortune going forward.
The local fans are bound to turn on him.
Struggling this badly seems like it has to be more than one thing.
His dynamic vision has declined, so he's started being late on four-seamers.
And when he speeds up his timing to compensate, he gets fooled and lunges at off-speed pitches instead.
The brilliance he had through last year has completely vanished.
Once someone who used to shine loses that shine, they rarely start shining again.
Things had just been going too well for him until now.
they clearly see him as a safe bet now (like a harmless tile in mahjong),
he's being completely looked down on.
Are they really going to let him bat every time?
Didn't even offer at it — that used to be a home run pitch too. Has Ohtani really declined?
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Guess Ohtani's eyesight really has started going out of nowhere, huh.
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Ohtani might genuinely be declining. I'd even say he can't see the ball properly. It's crazy that he's still batting cleanup, but given how much he's getting paid, the team's probably just going down with their star.
@
Ohtani's decline is definitely his eyes. He's not seeing the ball at all.
[Game 2] Shohei Ohtani strikes out on 3 pitches in first at-bat, swings through fastballs — Dodgers take the lead after being held hitless, backed by Yamamoto [Seii Taishogun★ (poster handle)]
https://hayabusa9.5ch.io/test/read.cgi/mnewsplus/1791840477/
If it's declining dynamic vision, no amount of rest will fix it.
Who'd have thought his eyes would give out at 32.
Ichiro took insanely good care of his eyes, which is how he lasted until 40, but I figured Ohtani's would at least hold up until around 35.
No wonder he can't make contact then.
He's whiffing on fastballs because his bat speed has dropped, probably.
Background and key points of this discussion
Shohei Ohtani has been stuck in a batting slump throughout this postseason, and the stat line cited in the thread — “106 plate appearances without a home run, a .188 average, a .504 OPS” — shows a situation well beyond a temporary rough patch. Opinions in the thread split over the cause, with some pointing to declining dynamic vision or age-related decline, and others attributing it to technical issues like reduced bat speed or mistimed timing on his load. It’s worth noting that none of this is a medical diagnosis — it’s all speculation by fans based on what they’re seeing at the plate. Some posts went as far as tying the slump to his motivation or his future contract situation, but that too is speculation drawn from the game results, not a fact about his actual intentions or the team’s plans.
*This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Geinou/Sports News+) thread “[Game 2] Shohei Ohtani strikes out on 3 pitches in first at-bat, swings through fastballs — Dodgers take the lead after being held hitless, backed by Yamamoto.”
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