Shohei Ohtani made World Series history during his Game 3 performance against the Yankees, but the Dodgers superstar didn’t escape without some concern. The two-way phenom became the first player in MLB history to reach base seven times in a single World Series game, but a late-inning scare had everyone holding their breath.
It happened in the bottom of the ninth. Ohtani had just been intentionally walked and was standing on first when Mookie Betts singled to right. As Ohtani rounded first and headed to second, he suddenly pulled up, grimacing and favoring his left leg.
The sight of him stretching out his leg immediately brought manager Dave Roberts and the training staff onto the field. After a quick examination, they headed back to the dugout while Ohtani stayed at second base.
trainers come out to check on ohtani pic.twitter.com/ZShT3Df85G
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) October 28, 2025
Two innings later, Ohtani drew another intentional walk but moved more carefully as he jogged to first. You could see him being cautious on the basepaths.
The good news? Fox’s Tom Verducci reported that the Dodgers believed Ohtani was dealing with cramping – not exactly shocking given the marathon nature of the game. And when Freddie Freeman launched his walk-off homer, Ohtani looked pretty spry jogging into the bullpen to celebrate with Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
The Dodgers walk it off and Shohei Ohtani sprints down the line to celebrate with Yoshinobu Yamamoto who was warming in the bullpen. pic.twitter.com/6TGBUCnobq
— Ben Verlander (@BenVerlander) October 28, 2025
Still, any Ohtani injury scare gets magnified when you’re talking about the most valuable player in baseball. The timing made it even more concerning – he’s scheduled to pitch Game 4 in less than 24 hours.
Roberts confirmed afterward that Ohtani was indeed dealing with cramps during his postgame press conference. More importantly, he said Ohtani will still take the mound Tuesday night as planned.
That’s a relief for the Dodgers, who watched their superstar put together one of the most dominant World Series performances in recent memory. Four extra-base hits, including two home runs, and that historic seven times on base – not a bad night’s work, cramps and all.
