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The story
Dodgers pitcher/DH Shohei Ohtani wrapped up his regular season in the September 27 game against the Giants, closing the books on his 9th MLB season. He finished at a .275 average, 30 home runs, and 81 RBIs — down from last year in every major batting category — and struggled after coming off the injured list (IL), going 5-for-21 with 8 strikeouts. As a pitcher he was excellent, going 8-2 with a 1.79 ERA over 14 starts, but he never took the mound again in the second half. On 5ch, fans voiced disappointment over his fading MVP hopes, debated whether the two-way act should continue, and speculated about how he’ll be used going forward.
Sanspo, 09/28/2026 05:47
Giants vs. Dodgers (September 27, San Francisco) — In MLB action, Dodgers pitcher Shohei Ohtani (32) batted leadoff and started at DH against the Giants. He went 1-for-3 before being pulled for a pinch hitter in the sixth. It was the final game of the regular season, closing out the stat line for Ohtani’s 9th MLB year.
Ohtani played in 139 games this season, hitting .275 with 30 home runs, 81 RBIs, 89 runs scored, 11 stolen bases, and 152 strikeouts. Hampered by injuries, he came in under last season’s numbers across the board. As a pitcher, he went 8-2 with a 1.79 ERA over 14 starts, striking out 95 in 85 2/3 innings and drawing Cy Young buzz in the first half — but he didn’t pitch again after that. Since returning from the injured list, he’d gone just 5-for-21 with 8 strikeouts.
Source: sanspo.com / Read the original article here
What people said
This guy broke a bone worse than Ohtani did and he's still out there playing center field.
His pitching stats keep him out of "dime-a-dozen" territory though
Between that and the injuries, his numbers dropped way too much
Zion is Japanese
I'm amazing (a snarky copypasta-style non-sequitur mocking pride-by-association)
And to make it worse, the pinch hitter was Rushing, who he's got history with.
That's gotta break Ohtani mentally.
And he's got a second kid on the way in his personal life too.
Murakami looks like he could sink into the .100s.
Shohei Ohtani AVG .275 HR 30 RBI 81 OPS .889
Seiya Suzuki AVG .270 HR 26 RBI 86 OPS .841
Masataka Yoshida AVG .274 HR 5 RBI 28 OPS .746
Munetaka Murakami AVG .207 HR 35 RBI 77 OPS .825
Kazuma Okamoto AVG .232 HR 33 RBI 92 OPS .762
Shohei Ohtani heads into the postseason with worries — finishes with fewest home runs (30) since 2021… an injury-marred second half brought a career-worst 86-PA homerless drought
https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/fc610c74e09e0ffd17d8a3e95bb5fb95b8c1134d
Curious how much he can recover using what he's learned this year.
Feels like it might be time for him to just focus on one or the other…
Focusing on raising the kid works too
Yeah, he's racking up strikeouts because he can't lay off garbage pitches.
Background and Talking Points
Ohtani has won multiple MVP awards as a two-way player since 2021, but this injury-plagued season saw every major stat — batting average, home runs, RBIs — fall below last year’s marks. As a pitcher, he looked like a genuine Cy Young contender in the first half with a 1.79 ERA, but he never took the mound again in the second half, and even at the plate he lost his spark after coming off the IL, hitting just 5-for-21 with 8 strikeouts. Opinions in the thread split between those who think continuing the two-way workload is taking too heavy a toll on his body, and those more sympathetic who argue he’d have posted his usual numbers if not for the injuries. Note that the source article’s suggestion that he “might be hiding pain the way Roki Sasaki did” is purely the reporter’s speculation, not something Ohtani himself has confirmed.
*This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Geinou/Sports News+) thread “[MLB] Ohtani’s Trophyless 9th MLB Season, MVP All but Gone… Season Stats Finalized — 6th Straight 30-HR Year, But Down Across the Board… 5-for-21 with 8 Ks Since Returning from IL.”
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