Shohei Ohtani prepares to launch relief by the end of the World Series

Major League Baseball's 2025 season has two or three games left. Tonight, the Dodgers will play their final home game. Trey Yesavage will be on the mound for the Blue Jays, facing veteran Blake Snell.

On Friday, the World Series returns to Toronto… and if each team wins a game between now and then, there will be a Game #7 on Saturday night, at the Rogers Centre.

Kevin Gausman, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Max Scherzer and Tyler Glasnow should be the starters. This means that Shane Bieber and Shohei Ohtani should have no more starts.

In Bieber's case, we can therefore expect to see him available in relief starting Friday, if need be. And he's ready.

Ohtani's case is different. After all, his series is far from over, since he's not just a pitcher. He'll be used, every day, as the DH in the batting order.

And if yesterday's game taught us anything, it's that he has to lead the way.

He can't do it all himself

Shohei Ohtani isn't getting help from notable Dodgers pic.twitter.com/T09i07c3vM

– DraftKings Sportsbook (@DKSportsbook) October 29, 2025

But that doesn't stop Nippon from being a good pitcher with a club that has problems in the bullpen. So it's possible that the Dodgers will need him for games in Toronto, in relief.

And on this subject, Ohtani was clear: from now on, he says he'd be ready to step in as a reliever if needed.

Ohtani said he would prepare to be available to pitch in relief in the remaining games of the series.

– Dylan Hernández (@dylanohernandez) October 29, 2025

Because Ohtani has to hit and he has to find time to warm up to enter a game, we agree that seeing him pitch will require special circumstances.

And if he doesn't finish a game as a pitcher after coming on in relief, he'll have to go play in the field to stay in the game.

I don't get the feeling that this is Dave Roberts' #1 game plan. That said, if his club's season is on the line and they need to get three outs, Ohtani can (and should) be an option. After all, the guy's good.

I don't see him pitching today because he pitched yesterday and the Dodgers aren't facing elimination. But in Toronto, we'll have to watch.

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