It’s official, the Los Angeles Dodgers are handing the baseball to Shohei Ohtani for Game 7 of the World Series against the Toronto Blue Jays.
After their stunning win in Game 6 to force a winner-take-all situation, Ohtani will take the mound on short rest and look for a bounce-back performance following a rough Game 4 outing in which he gave up four earned runs.
What To Expect From Shohei Ohtani In Game 7
Once the announcement was made that Ohtani would get the start, MLB Network analyst Mark DeRosa shared his thoughts on what he expects from the Japanese star and the challenge he will surely face.
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“I expect him to be really good, but he’s got his work cut out for him,” DeRosa said on MLB Network before Game 7. “The Blue Jays lineup, they are resilient, man. You keep hearing that word a lot with them. They have success against him. They have been kicked and beat down a little bit in moments. They have outplayed the Dodgers, in my opinion. I think they show up confident.”
How Long Should Shohei Ohtani Go For The Dodgers?
Throughout the entire 2025 MLB season, the Dodgers have handled Ohtani’s return to the mound with major caution. Los Angeles didn’t push the right-hander, keeping him on an innings count and slowly increasing it. However, with this being Game 7 and on short rest, the question is: How long will Ohtani go for the away side on Saturday night?
“I just sit there and I try and think: If I’m Dave Roberts, how do I want this to lay out? How do you want it to lay out? It’s Ohtani’s call—how he’s going to feel,” DeRosa added. “He’s on three days’ rest. I mean, you take a look at it right here. He threw 93 pitches in Game 4. I would think he’d be fine to go as long as he’s effective and wants to go.”
Moreover, seeing how being on the mound affects Ohtani at the plate will be interesting. In Game 4, he went 0-for-3 with a walk, and with a Dodgers offense that’s been a roller coaster in this World Series. Los Angeles needs Ohtani to be more effective at the plate.
