Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani Regrets Key Decision in Worst Start of Year, Loss to Pirates

The Los Angeles Dodgers collapsed on Wednesday against the Pittsburgh Pirates, despite the team holding a 6-1 lead going into the bottom of the seventh inning.

Los Angeles got a strong outing from starter Shohei Ohtani through six innings, but in the seventh, his start came undone. Ohtani has been dealing with a blister on the middle finger of his pitching hand, but he said it hasn't bothered him too much.

Instead, Ohtani's struggles came on the back of him and catcher Dalton Rushing, as they both missed the chance to challenge a couple calls that led to the Pirates' comeback.

The first came against Pirates' Tyler Callihan, where on a 1-0 count, Ohtani threw a fastball low in the zone that was called a ball. It would have been a strike if either Ohtani or Rushing had challenged, but, neither did, and Callihan was eventually walked.

This sparked Pittsburgh's comeback effort, opening the door for the Dodgers to lose the game. After the game, Ohtani discussed the decision, showing regret in what happened.

“I hesitated whether to challenge,” Ohtani said in Japanese. “Looking at the results, I think it would have been better to.”

There were three different chances in the seventh inning for both Ohtani and Rushing to use the ABS Challenge system, but neither did. The Dodgers had one challenge left after Rushing lost one, and the two players elected to hold off.

Ohtani ended up putting together the worst start of his season, allowing three runs on six hits over 6.2 innings. His ERA jumped past the 1.00 mark for the first time this year, now sitting at 1.06 for the season.

“I really got close to doing one,” Ohtani said of challenging. “I usually let the catchers make that determination. But looking back, I think situationally, how important it was, that at-bat — looking back, I think I could have done a few challenges.”

This will be a learning situation for both Ohtani and Rushing, as this was the first time they've been paired together with Will Smith out. This mistake wasn't the only reason why the Dodgers lost the game, but it certainly gave the Pirates life.

Los Angeles did hold a 6-4 lead going into the eighth inning, but the bullpen couldn't hold off the momentum that Pittsburgh had put together.

Los Angeles will now look to finish the series strong on Thursday, hoping to clinch another victory. First pitch between the two clubs is set for 3:40 p.m. PT/6:40 p.m. ET.

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