In Game 2 of the 2024 World Series, Shohei Ohtani attempted to steal second base and dislocated his left shoulder during the slide.

The moment shocked not only fans watching around the world, but the entire Dodgers organization.

Ohtani could not immediately stand up and had to be helped off the field by trainers.

The worried expressions on the faces of the manager, coaches, and players revealed just how serious the situation felt.

Although Ohtani delayed his travel to New York for further examinations, he ultimately remained in the starting lineup through Game 5 and helped the Dodgers win the championship.

Still, the pain itself was severe.

In an interview afterward, Ohtani revealed:

“It hurt. I got painkilling injections and took medication, but even then, the pain didn’t go away. Right after it happened, I honestly thought, ‘It’s over.’ Not as a player — but my World Series was over.”

According to Ohtani, the doctors told him:

“If you can tolerate the pain, you can play.”

So he made the decision to continue.

But it was far from easy.

Whenever his left shoulder cooled down, the pain intensified dramatically.

After each plate appearance, he immediately had the shoulder warmed and massaged while preparing for his next at-bat.

It was, in many ways, a balancing act held together by determination and pain tolerance.

Even so, Ohtani said he was deeply grateful that the team still needed him and wanted him in the lineup.

That feeling gave him strength to keep going until the very end.

Through pain, uncertainty, and physical limitation, Ohtani endured — and finally captured the first World Series championship of his career.

Source

This quote comes from a Japanese book published in Japan and is not currently available in English.

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