Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani snapped an 0-for-10 hitless streak in Saturday’s 3-1 loss against the Reds in Cincinnati with possibly the most nonchalant triple in MLB history.
With a 1-1 count in the sixth inning, Ohtani ripped a Hunter Greene pitch down the right field line but as he reached first, he seemed to go into a jog, appearing he would settle for a double.
Instead, the two-time AL MVP continued his modest pace around second base and reached third for his second triple of the 2024 season.
Though Ohtani reached third safely, the FOX announce crew seemed taken aback by the effort — or lack thereof — on the base paths.
“Even though he gets across second, he’s cruising and this play was closer than it should have been,” MLB Hall of Famer John Smoltz said.
Play-by-play man Joe Davis posited about Ohtani possibly getting hurt on the play.
“That’s odd,” Davis said. “Either he has the most innate baseball clock in baseball history and he knows [he would be safe] or there’s something wrong with him watching him run the bases there.”
Ohtani did appear to be momentarily shaken up after the play as he was tagged on the helmet during the slide.
He remained in the game.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts confirmed after Saturday’s loss that his star slugger has been hampered by a bruised hamstring that he suffered during the team’s last homestand, per Yahoo Sports.
The LA skipper noted that the team has urged Ohtani to be “smart with it” regarding his injury.
“I think he was just going to leg out a double and the ball just didn’t get in [to the infield], so he kept running. It is him just managing the hamstring,” Roberts said of the play.
“Today, it was better than yesterday. We need him in there. We just didn’t want to push it.”
The injury sheds light on the slow jog as Ohtani — who has proven himself as an elite pitcher, hitter and baserunner — has flashed his speed throughout his MLB career.
He’s currently in a three-way tie for seventh in the majors with 13 stolen bases and even led the MLB with eight triples in 2021.
Ironically, the Dodgers’ weekend series against the Reds means LA has faced current MLB steals leader Elly De La Cruz, who has swiped 31 bags already.
Before the series kicked off Friday night, De La Cruz was asked his thoughts on the reigning AL MVP and happened to compliment Ohtani’s wheels.
“He’s fast,” De La Cruz said, according to SI. “But I’m the fastest man in the world.”
