DodgersShohei Ohtani wont play it safe in last chance as a pitcher

With Shohei Ohtani, the one question that never has to be asked is, “What if?”What if Ohtani tried playing both ways? We don’t have to ask.We know.What if Ohtani tried pitching and hitting in the same game? We don’t have to ask.

We know.What if Ohtani tried to take on the workload of a full-time pitcher as a soon-to-be 32-year-old? By the end of this season, we won’t have to ask.We’ll know.His body could break down, his offensive production could decline, but the possibility of failure has never stopped Ohtani from attempting to do what no player before him has ever done. And that’s not about to stop him now.Ohtani emphasized this point in an interview published last week by the Japanese sports magazine Number.“Inside, I’m assuming this is my last chance as a pitcher,” Ohtani told the publication in Japanese.He said he couldn’t imagine ever wanting his time as a pitcher to be “thin and long” — in essence, he didn’t want to limit his effort for the sake of longevity.“I’m not saying it’s OK for it to be short,” Ohtani said, “but what’s most important to me is for it to be as thick as possible.”In other words, he intends to go all-out.

He wants to be as good as he can be, and that can only happen if he doesn’t hold back.If he gets hurt, he gets hurt. Which is why it makes sense that Ohtani won’t let swelling in his knee or a blister on his finger stop him from taking his next turn in the rotation.

His wife recently gave birth to their second child, but Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said the plan is still for him to make his scheduled start Wednesday in Minnesota.He thinks he has more in him as a pitcher, and he wants to have a season that reflects that.

Only once before has he pitched the required number of innings to qualify for the ERA title.Ohtani has talked about how important pitching is to him.He’s demonstrated it with his actions.

He explained why in greater detail to Number, with which he has a long-standi...