Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani gives up pitching this season and will focus on being a batter

Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani, who continues to play despite suffering from inflammation in his left knee and discomfort in his upper right arm, has announced his intention to give up pitching this season.

On the 7th, Major League Baseball's official website reported, ``He will focus on being a batter for the rest of this season and is not expected to pitch as a pitcher.'' He reportedly explained the situation after the game against the Reds, where he appeared as a batter for the first time in five games. Against the Reds, he had no hits in three at-bats, one walk, and two strikeouts.

Otani started this season with a ``double ability of pitching and hitting'' for the first time since 2023, when he belonged to the Angels. As a pitcher, he started 14 games and pitched 85 2/3 innings, posting a record of 8 wins, 2 losses, an ERA of 1.79, and 95 strikeouts.

He has been pitching steadily since the opening game, but when he started the game against the Pirates on June 10, local time, he withdrew due to discomfort in his left knee. He pitched in three games after that, but has not taken the mound since July 3 against the Padres.

After the first half of the match, he was given an injection of something like a lubricant into the affected area to make the knee joint move more smoothly, but it seems that he was not able to recover as expected.

On the other hand, manager Roberts and other leaders continued to use him as a designated hitter (DH), as there was no problem with his batting ability. However, from mid-August onwards, it became apparent that he was lagging behind in his fastball, and the effects of the injury were becoming more and more obvious.

His last home run of the season was his 30th of the season against the Rockies on August 18th. He has not appeared in the last 13 games, and during this period he has 6 hits in 49 at bats (batting average of .122) and 21 strikeouts.

With 18 games left in the regular season, the team currently leads the National League West with 87 wins and 57 losses (as of the 7th). Although it seems certain that they will win the district championship, Otani's recovery in batting is essential for their goal of winning their third consecutive World Series title.

By focusing on being a hitter, he hopes to improve his batting and enter the postseason.