Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani was left out of the starting lineup for the September 3 (local time) game against the Cardinals. He struck out in all four at-bats the day before, extending a slump in which he’s now gone homerless in 60 at-bats over his last 12 games. With the outlook for his continued two-way play this season uncertain, the benching set off a mix of reactions on 5channel’s Geinou/Sports News+ board — some saying he should be rested, others voicing concern over his health and future career. Discussion also turned to how his workload should be split between pitching and hitting going forward.
Sports Nippon
[ September 4, 2026, 07:00 ]
NL: Dodgers vs. Cardinals (September 3, 2026, Los Angeles)
Source: sponichi.co.jp / Original article here
Sorry, but Yamamoto and Roki (Sasaki) just aren't in the same league — different level of draw entirely.
Yeah, no kidding.
Feel bad for the Japanese fans who flew out to watch in person.
That's money down the drain.
Isn't that basically our tax money at that point? (NHK is funded by a mandatory license fee, so people gripe about it like a tax)
So it's basically like that new stadium Akita's been "considering" building every year. (a running joke — they never actually build it)
Inoue's 33 too though, also in the twilight of his career.
Murakami and Okamoto both ran out of gas.
Neither had the stamina to get through a full season.
Still miles better than a washed-up DH-only guy who hasn't played a single inning of defense.
Lol
Re: #523
138 Anonymous ("much obliged") 2026/09/03 (Thu) 18:05:41.60 ID:yk5HcCDc0
Re: #1
Him + his team + his fans: "We just can't figure out what's causing the slump…"
Everyone else: "Isn't he just overweight? Maybe try losing weight back to what he looked like when he was actually performing well?"
Him + his team + his fans: "!!!!!!"
Does watching baseball ("yakyuu" — a mocking slang term for the sport) make you stupid?
Guess you're not allowed to just say the obvious truth.
Genuinely creepy.
He gets treated just like North Korea's Supreme Leader.
Re: #133
Seriously, exactly this.
The way his diehard fans jump in with these off-the-mark, brain-dead defenses is so creepy it gives me chills.
He's past his physical peak too, so the two-way approach needs serious rethinking for next season and beyond.
Why not just split it by season — pitcher one year, hitter the next?
During pitching seasons he could still come in as a pinch hitter now and then.
Agreed.
I think he should focus purely on pitching, and not as a starter — more like closer or setup duty.
They've already got plenty of starters.
Once his dynamic vision starts to decline he won't be able to hit anymore anyway, so he should focus on hitting until then, then switch to pitching-only for the rest of his career.
Seemed like he got along better with the manager back in his Angels days.
Yeah, it's pretty obvious his teammates don't like him.
Guess Ippei's presence really did make a huge difference after all. (his former interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara)
The Angels just got bought out by a motivated, deep-pocketed new owner who's planning a new stadium and a major roster overhaul — if he could go back, that might actually be worth it.
He was pitching last year too.
Is it just age?
Probably.
Fatigue piles up day after day and stamina fades day after day —
no matter how tough a guy is, nobody beats age.
He got overconfident about his own body and slacked off on maintenance.
Knowing Ohtani, he wouldn't just gain weight for no reason.
Guess baseball really is played pretty haphazardly.
Baseball ("yakyuu") really is a shallow sport through and through.
Unbelievable.
MVP's out of reach at this point anyway.
Nah,
sit out the postseason too.
Just shut it down completely for the rest of the year.
And on top of that he's got 8 wins as a pitcher — an absurd stat line.
He wouldn't get ripped on if he weren't making 10 billion yen a year.
Murakami's turned into total trash too.
About the only ones left are Okamoto and Seiya…
and maybe Yamamoto?
He's been sleeping too well thanks to Yakult 1000 (a probiotic drink marketed for improving sleep quality) — batting .215.
It's an amazing stat line.
Since August, lol.
Go look it up, you'll be shocked.
Background and Key Points of the Discussion
Ohtani is attempting the two-way pitcher-hitter role again this season, and the combination of his recent slump and being left out of the lineup split opinion in the thread: some speculated he might be headed for the Injured List (IL), while others figured it was simply a scheduled rest day. Whether he was actually placed on the IL can’t be confirmed from the source article excerpt alone, which includes only the date and matchup. Debate also touched on how his workload should be managed going forward if the two-way experiment continues, including proposals to move him from starting pitcher to a relief role, or to split pitching and hitting duties by season. Some posts also mocked Ohtani’s physique and physical condition; comments amounting to baseless slander or abuse have been excluded from this article.
*This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5channel (Geinou/Sports News+) thread “[U.S.] Slumping Shohei Ohtani Out of Starting Lineup vs. Cardinals — Struck Out 4 Times the Day Before, Homerless in 60 At-Bats Over 12 Games.”
