SAN DIEGO — Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Friday that Shohei Ohtani’s next pitching start will “likely” be caught by Dalton Rushing, even after the two sides were clearly and virally not on the same page during Ohtani’s start Wednesday night against the Minnesota Twins.
It’s unclear whether Ohtani will call his own pitches, as he did in the final four scoreless innings of the Dodgers’ win. The focus that night was on Rushing, the Dodgers’ young catcher whose frustrations showed in a disastrous second inning. That led to a scene on the bench in which Freddie Freeman, pitching coach Mark Pryor, mental performance coach Brent Walker and eventually Roberts took turns chatting with the former top prospect.
Those conversations have continued over the past day and a half, Roberts said Friday.
“I think he was in that moment,” Roberts said. “I really feel like in the future we’ll all be on the same page. It won’t always be in sync, but I think where it happened the other day, I don’t really see that happening in the future. They all care. They all care.”
Rushing said after Wednesday’s game that the incident was “unfortunate” not only because of what happened, but because he needed help from teammates and support staff. This marked yet another point where Rushing’s on-field actions became more controversial than his performance during his first full season in the major leagues.
Ohtani, speaking as bluntly as he does in a Dodgers uniform, said he didn’t feel any conviction in the pitches he threw in the first two innings of the start as Rushing called pitches. In the second inning, Ohtani and Rushing collided at 101.7 mph. The ball went all the way, allowing the Twins to score their first of three runs in the inning. Rushing took the blame for the miscommunication after the game.
The Mets’ problems aren’t solely attributed to former manager Carlos Mendoza.
Ohtani also wanted to challenge the umpire’s decision on two pitches he believed were strikes in the first two innings. The second time, Ohtani actually challenged when Rushing pointedly shook his head. The impact caused the field to flip over a fraction of an inch.
Starting in the third inning, Ohtani called his pitches.
“There are actually multiple ways to communicate,” Ohtani said Wednesday through translator Will Ireton. “One is through words, but the other way to communicate is by leading by example, where I just take charge and show Rush what style of delivery I can do.”
Rushing caught Ohtani’s last three starts, and franchise catcher Will Smith was on the injured list with an inflamed disc in his neck. Those three starts coincided with Ohtani dealing with a callus on his middle finger and a swollen left knee, clouding some of the numbers, but Ohtani allowed nine earned runs in 18 2/3 innings with Rush at the plate. He allowed only five earned runs in 61 innings with Smith behind the plate.
Smith remains out of baseball, Roberts said. Outside of Rushing, that limits alternatives to journeyman Chuckie Robinson, who is playing on his sixth team.
“I think Shohei is very picky about what he wants to throw,” Roberts said. “Most guys aren’t like that, they’re more gray. I think Shohei is just clearer about what he wants to throw.”
Wednesday’s start was Rushing’s first game action since leaving Monday’s game against the Twins early to rule out a concussion. Rushing was never diagnosed with a concussion after hitting the catcher’s mask for a foul.
Rushing’s year became somewhat turbulent after a hot April. His OPS in 32 games since the start of May is .565.
And, as Wednesday confirmed, everything he does will be closely watched and will quickly become the subject of internet fodder.
“I don’t think he thinks he’s going viral at this point,” Roberts said. “I think sometimes he just… kind of sees red. But he understands that actions have consequences. We need to be more mindful, and he understands that.”