Mookie Betts Empathizes with Shohei Ohtani's Postseason Struggles Amid Injuries
Dodgers teammate Mookie Betts draws parallels to his own past injury, highlighting the difficulty of performing under physical limitations during high-stakes games.
Los Angeles Dodgers teammate Mookie Betts expressed understanding for Shohei Ohtani's current postseason challenges, drawing on his own experience with a significant hand injury.
Betts recognized the difficulty of maintaining performance when playing with physical limitations, particularly after he fractured his left hand two years ago when struck by a 98 mph fastball. "It’s really, really hard," Betts stated. "It took me almost like two years before I was able to really kind of feel normal again and get those bad habits out."
Ohtani has been dealing with discomfort in his right arm and left knee leading up to and during the National League Championship Series. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts acknowledged the extent of Ohtani's physical issues, responding "It’s everything" when asked what was bothering the star player.
Betts explained that the drive to play can lead hitters to make adjustments that ultimately hinder their performance. "When you’re hurt, you just want to play," Betts said. "So you’ll make adjustments to the swing or to your body so you can play. Then you don’t want to hurt while you play, so you make the adjustments to where your body doesn’t feel it. Sometimes it’s to the detriment of who you are as a player, and you don’t really realize it."
Adding to the complexity, Betts suggested that Ohtani's immense stature and the expectations that come with it would make navigating these physical challenges even more difficult. "I couldn’t imagine really kind of having the expectations that he has and falling short in a way that it’s not normal for him. Then having to come back and be present in this postseason knowing how important he is to the boys."
Ohtani's performance in the postseason has been notably impacted, as he is currently hitting .150. Betts emphasized that Ohtani is making a concerted effort despite these difficulties. "He’s trying," Betts said. "It’s just really, really hard. It’s really hard to make these slight adjustments in this short amount of time. Like I said, it took me almost two years. I feel for him. I know he’s grinding, he’s working. So we’ll just see. We’ll see how he comes and prepares."
Betts concluded by reiterating his belief in Ohtani's effort. "But I know he’s giving it his all. We know he’s giving it his all. We can at least lay our heads on a pillow at night knowing that we’ve given it everything."