In Game 2 of the 2024 World Series between the Dodgers and the Yankees, Shohei Ohtani attempted a stolen base in the seventh inning with two outs and a runner on first.

As he slid into the base, he injured his left shoulder and remained crouched on the ground, unable to get up.

Manager Dave Roberts and the trainers rushed to him immediately, but Ohtani could barely stand before slowly walking back to the dugout.

The Dodgers held on to win the game and take a 2–0 series lead.

Even while celebrating the victory, however, the entire team was deeply concerned about Ohtani’s condition.

Roberts later announced that it was a partial dislocation of the left shoulder and emphasized that it did not appear to be severe.

Still, when the team boarded its charter flight to New York for Game 3, Ohtani was not on the plane.

He remained behind for further medical examinations.

As anxiety spread throughout the organization, Ohtani sent a message to his teammates in the group chat:

“I’m fine, and I’m going to play.”

He himself must have been uncertain and worried.

Yet his focus was not only on his own condition.

“If I can play, then of course I want to play. I don’t want to lower the team’s morale. Other players are battling injuries too, and not everyone is playing at one hundred percent. So I just wanted to do what I could do.”

That was Ohtani’s mindset.

He did not pretend to be invincible, nor did he allow fear to weaken the momentum of the team.

Ohtani ultimately played in Game 3 and drew a walk in his very first plate appearance.

He was far from fully healthy, but he continued contributing however he could — and in the end, he helped lead the Dodgers to the World Series title he had dreamed about for so long.

Source

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

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