Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani shares perfect reaction to Dalton Rushing’s big night

For the first time in what feels like forever, Shohei Ohtani was not on the Los Angeles Dodgers’ batting lineup. Ohtani was there to start the game as a pitcher, but he was taken off the batter’s list due to his injury. Stepping into the temporarily vacated DH role was standout hitter Dalton Rushing, who was excellent as Will Smith’s backup.

Even with his excellent form on their recent road trip, Dodgers fans had to have been a little concerned. Sure, Ohtani was struggling at the plate before he was taken off, but he’s still a major threat that demands attention. Rushing has been great, yes, but will he be able to step up as the designated power bat for the team?

As it turns out, yes, he can. Rushing proved to be instrumental in the Dodgers’ 8-2 win over the Mets on Wednesday night. His biggest contribution came in the eighth inning, when he hit a massive grand slam to put New York to sleep. It was the perfect complement to Ohtani’s elite performance at the plate in his first game pitching without hitting since 2021.

After the game, Ohtani gave a short seal of approval to Rushing’s performance. Speaking through his interpreter, the Dodgers star simply said, “We had a really good DH today,” per Fabian Ardaya.

Ohtani was taken off the batting lineup today during his scheduled start. According to manager Dave Roberts, the move was done to give Ohtani more opportunities to heal from his injured shoulder. The Dodgers star suffered that injury after getting hit by a pitch on Monday against the Mets.

Rushing was excellent for the Dodgers against the Mets. The stand-in for Ohtani had two hits, including the grand slam mentioned earlier, in his four at-bats. It was more than enough for the Dodgers, who got six innings of one-run ball from Ohtani. Ohtani also struck out 10 batters on the mound, the dominant form from the star starting to return.

Next up for the Dodgers is a trip to Denver for a four-game series with the Colorado Rockies. That will be followed by a two-game series against the San Francisco Giants before returning home to face the Chicago Cubs.

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