Roberts Confronts Rushing After Ohtani-Rushing Misfires Cost 3 Runs

Q: As Ohtani chases Dodgers history, is this the greatest season in MLB history?

Not yet—but it is already one of the most extraordinary seasons MLB has seen, and arguably the most unique. The case for Ohtani starts with the fact that no modern player has paired elite hitting with ace-level pitching over a full season the way he is doing now. After Wednesday’s win over Minnesota, he is 8-2 with a 1.58 ERA, 0.90 WHIP and 86 strikeouts against 24 walks, with 11 quality starts in 13 outings. At the plate, he remains a major force, hitting well in June and extending an on-base streak that has put him within reach of Duke Snider’s Dodgers record of 58 games. That combination is what makes the season historic. Greatest offensive seasons—Babe Ruth in 1921, Ted Williams in 1949, Barry Bonds at his peak—produced numbers Ohtani is not matching purely as a hitter. Likewise, the greatest pitching seasons stand on their own statistical plane. If the question is who had the best single-discipline season, Ohtani still faces steep historical competition. If the question is which season is the most unprecedented overall, Ohtani has a stronger claim than almost anyone. The same player leading a lineup, carrying a 50-game on-base streak, and performing like one of the best pitchers in baseball is something the sport has essentially never seen. So the fairest answer is this: it is too early to call it the greatest season in MLB history, but it is already a legitimate contender for the most singular season the game has produced.

Q: Is baseball's 'Ohtani Rule' creating an unfair advantage for the Dodgers?

Yes, it gives the Dodgers a real competitive advantage, but calling it unfair is harder to sustain. The advantage is clear. MLB’s two-way player rules let Shohei Ohtani stay in the lineup as the designated hitter after he finishes pitching, and his two-way designation means he does not count against the 13-pitcher roster limit. In practice, that gives Los Angeles more flexibility than most clubs: Ohtani can deliver a quality start, as he did again against Minnesota, and still help offensively, while the Dodgers effectively carry an extra arm. Critics inside the sport have said that is unusually favorable. Cubs manager Craig Counsell has described it as a lopsided setup because one team currently gets roster and lineup benefits no one else can use. That criticism has force, especially because Ohtani is the only player in MLB who fully qualifies for the rule right now. But the rule was not written for the Dodgers. It was adopted while Ohtani was with the Angels, and it is available to any team with a player who meets the thresholds for innings pitched and starts as a hitter. MLB and the union created it to accommodate a legitimate two-way role, not to carve out a Dodgers-only exception. So the better framing is that the Dodgers benefit from a legal, league-approved edge created by an unprecedented player. The imbalance comes less from favoritism in the rulebook than from the rarity of Ohtani himself.

3 articles · Updated · Sports Illustrated · Jun 25

Three runs scored in Minnesota’s second inning as Shohei Ohtani and catcher Dalton Rushing visibly disagreed over multiple pitch challenges, with one run coming home on a passed ball.
Dave Roberts then held a long dugout talk with Rushing, and Freddie Freeman, pitching coach Mark Prior and the Dodgers’ mental skills coach also spoke with the rookie catcher between innings.
Ohtani appeared to start calling his own pitches in the third and responded by striking out the side; he later recovered to earn the win in a 4-3 Dodgers victory.
The tension comes as Rushing fills in for injured All-Star Will Smith; Ohtani had allowed just 5 earned runs in 10 starts with Smith, versus 7 in two starts with Rushing entering Wednesday.