For a second straight day, an ace has taken the mound between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Pittsburgh Pirates. In the first game of the series, Paul Skenes hit the mound for the Pirates, but the Dodgers still took the win. In the second game of the series, Shohei Ohtani went to the mound for the Dodgers.
While the Dodgers took a lead in the game, Ohtani made a major mistake. He went out to the mound in the seventh inning, and after two hits, Ohtani was facing Brandon Lowe. Ohtani fell behind in the at-bat 3-0, but two of the pitches were borderline calls, and could have been challenged. Ohtani and catcher Dalton Rushing did not do so, and Lowe hit a two-run double. Now, Ohtani is speaking about not challenging the calls, per ESPN.
“I usually let the catchers make that determination,” Ohtani said. “But looking back, I think situationally, how important it was that at-bat, looking back, I think I could have done a few challenges.”
Ohtani went six and two-thirds innings, giving up six hits and three runs. He also walked three batters and struck out six. Still, when he left the game, the Dodgers were still up 6-4.
The Pirates would score five runs in the bottom of the eighth inning, with the help of two home runs. Ohtani would try to get the Dodgers back in the game. He hit a two-run home run in the top of the ninth, but it would not be enough, as the Dodgers fell 9-8.
The Dodgers are now 43-25 on the season, and in first place in the NL West. They finish their three-game series with the Pirates on Thursday.
The post Shohei Ohtani cops to fatal mistake that led to Dodgers massive collapse appeared first on ClutchPoints.
