Overview
- Manager Dave Roberts said Ohtani could be a bullpen option if needed in Game 6 or a possible Game 7 in Toronto.
- Ohtani has never pitched in relief in MLB, though he has relieved in Japan and closed the 2023 World Baseball Classic for Japan.
- The so‑called Ohtani rule let him remain the designated hitter after he was removed from the mound in his World Series debut.
- In Game 4, he allowed four runs on six hits with six strikeouts and one walk over six-plus innings and took the 6–2 loss after exiting in the seventh with his pitch count in the 90s.
- Ohtani told reporters he wants to be available to pitch again this Series, even after a heavy recent workload that included an 18-inning game the night before his start.