Dodgers Dalton Rushing takes ownership of Shohei Ohtani debacle: Need to grow from this

SACRAMENTO –– Dalton Rushing took a seat at his locker Sunday morning, sat backward in his chair with his arms propped up on the backrest, then struck a tone of contrition as he reflected on perhaps the lowest point of his MLB career.Four days earlier, Rushing acknowledged, he had failed in his No.1 priority as a catcher.“You never want to have a pitcher feel like you don’t have their back,” he said.Especially when that pitcher is Shohei Ohtani.For almost 10 minutes in an interview with The California Post, Rushing replayed all the things he wished had gone differently during a nightmarish three-run second inning while catching Ohtani last Wednesday.How he lacked synergy with the right-hander on pitch calls.

How they got crossed up on a passed ball that plated a run.And, most of all, how he showed outward frustration that seemed directed at his superstar teammate, losing his cool as the inning came unraveled.“It’s not at all how we want to be viewed as battery mates,” Rushing said.

“Whether it’s Shohei, whether it’s any of our starting pitchers, any of the guys in the bullpen, you never want to be viewed like that.”Rushing, of course, was not the only one who looked agitated by the series of miscommunication-marred mishaps.While the Dodgers came back to win the game –– in part because Ohtani reverted to calling his own pitches the rest of his outing –– both players had let emotions in the moment overtake them.“That second inning was just complete chaos,” first baseman Freddie Freeman said.

“It felt like a rollercoaster that was losing pins as you’re doing loops.It just felt chaotic.”After lengthy debriefs and plenty of self-reflection since, however, it was also a situation Rushing wanted to take ownership of himself on Sunday, stating “it’s our job to make sure he really feels us on his side.”“Look, he’s the greatest player to play this game,” Rushing said of Ohtani.

“And he has every right to, one, call w...