From our other sites
The story
The Dodgers snapped a two-game losing streak on the 26th (Japan time), beating the Giants 2-0 on the road. Shohei Ohtani, starting his third game since returning from injury, batted leadoff as DH but went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts. By contrast, Roki Sasaki turned in a dominant relief outing — his second appearance of the season — throwing a hitless, scoreless inning with two strikeouts. On the thread, posts mocking Ohtani’s slump with the nickname “Owatani” (a jab combining “owatta,” meaning “he’s done,” with “Ohtani”) lined up alongside comments praising Sasaki’s growth and his fit as a reliever, with the contrast between the two players becoming the main topic of discussion.
Dodgers notch 14th shutout win of the season, snap losing streak — Roki Sasaki dazzles with scoreless, 2-K relief inning; Ohtani strikes out three times
◇NL: Dodgers 2, Giants 0 (San Francisco, September 25, 2026)
The Dodgers beat the Giants on the road on the 25th (26th Japan time), stopping their losing streak at two games. Shohei Ohtani (32), who went on the injured list with right biceps inflammation and was playing his third game since returning, started as the No. 1 hitter and DH. He went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts. Roki Sasaki (24), making his second relief appearance of the season, was dominant, throwing a hitless, scoreless inning with two strikeouts.
Source: sponichi.co.jp / Original article here
What people said
Still, the Dodgers won
Guess that's about right if you think of it as a rehab stretch
He's grown
The word Roki Sasaki kept repeating: 'preparation' — skipping a start to volunteer for relief… it's all about 'contributing to the team' in the postseason (9/23)
https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/d430b3bfa9b73d0b1079520abd79ea2ab3d13a12
If he refuses, they'll just trade him
Cy Young's basically his to lose at this point
Not gonna say who
As for Roki, batters just aren't used to facing him since it's only occasional
but figuring out what to do with Ohtani is tricky
Ohtani: 3 strikeouts (batted)
Ohtani actually struck out more, lol
He's been steady ever since he switched to a bigger glove
But the moment he can't hit, suddenly there's a thread
Geisports really has an agenda, lol
That token RBI in the 9th just to cover himself didn't mean anything
You call that a 'performance'? lol
There are way more games where he doesn't hit and no thread gets made. People are simply losing interest, that's all
He figured the team would fall apart without him — they went on an 11-game win streak
He comes back — they lose two straight
He personally goes 0-for-3 yet the team still throws a shutout win
Honestly grateful — he's made it crystal clear to the team and the fans alike that he does nothing to actually help them win
And he's still got 7 years left on that contract
This is back-to-back days pitching, remember
Clearly shows he's preparing himself as a reliever now, not as a starter
Background and Key Points of This Discussion
Shohei Ohtani is currently on the injured list with inflammation in his right biceps, and this outing marked his third game back since returning. As one commenter pointed out, noting his “2nd-best OPS,” his overall batting numbers for the season remain strong, so judging his whole season off one bad game would be premature. Roki Sasaki, meanwhile, is primarily a starter, but he’s reported to have volunteered for relief duty himself with an eye toward contributing in the postseason, and this second straight relief outing is an extension of that plan. The nickname “Owatani” circulating in the thread is 5ch slang that’s become standard whenever Ohtani slumps, combining “owatta” (he’s done) with “Ohtani” — it’s not necessarily an accurate reflection of his actual ability. Because Sasaki’s strong outing contrasted so sharply with Ohtani’s, reactions ended up centered on the contrast between the two players’ pitching and hitting performances.
*This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Geinou/Sports News+) thread “[MLB] Dodgers notch 14th shutout win of the season, snap losing streak — Roki Sasaki dazzles with a scoreless, 2-K relief inning; Ohtani strikes out three times.”
Leave a Reply