Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani has encountered difficulties throwing to his backup catcher, Dalton Rushing, due to the ongoing injury of regular catcher Will Smith. Lingering neck pain has sidelined Smith, forcing Rushing into a more prominent role. Ohtani's frustration with Rushing's performance was evident during a recent 4-3 victory over the Minnesota Twins.
Communication Breakdown
The issues between Ohtani and Rushing surfaced multiple times during the game. Ohtani expressed a lack of comfort with Rushing's pitch calling early on, stating, "I felt as if I was throwing with hesitation. I think that affected the quality of my pitches." At one point, Ohtani gestured for Rushing to challenge a ball call, but was seemingly ignored, leading to a walk. Later, a miscommunication on a PitchCom signal resulted in a passed ball and a run scoring, with Ohtani throwing a 101.7 mph fastball while Rushing expected a breaking ball.
Ohtani also appeared to signal for challenges on umpire calls, only for Rushing to decline or for a different decision to be made. This culminated in Ohtani taking over pitch calling duties by the third inning, a move he indicated improved his performance. "I think that was one of the reasons I pitched well," Ohtani said through an interpreter.
Performance Discrepancies
Statistics highlight a notable difference in Ohtani's performance with Smith catching versus Rushing. In the 10 starts where Smith was behind the plate, Ohtani allowed five earned runs over 61 innings. However, in the three starts with Rushing catching, he allowed nine earned runs in 18 2/3 innings. Whether Rushing is solely responsible for this shift, Ohtani's perception is that he is.
Rushing acknowledged his struggles, calling his performance "pretty embarrassing." He received support from manager Dave Roberts and teammate Freddie Freeman. "It's embarrassing that I need support like that. I'm a grown man. I'm going to get better," Rushing stated.
Future Implications
With Smith expected to miss more time, Rushing faces pressure to adapt and improve his connection with Ohtani. Ohtani himself suggested he called his own pitches partly to demonstrate his preferred approach to Rushing. "Explaining in words is of course important, but showing him how I pitch in a game could be a good catalyst in developing communication," Ohtani explained. While Ohtani has left the door open for future collaboration, continued struggles could lead the Dodgers to seek alternative catching options for their star pitcher.