Los Angeles Dodgers Star Shohei Ohtani Reacts to Shoulder Injury in Press Conference

The Los Angeles Dodgers are one win away from a World Series title as Shohei Ohtani battles his injured shoulder.

Los Angeles Dodgers two-way player Shohei Ohtani (17) runs to second on a force out during the ninth inning against the New York Yankees in game three of the 2024 MLB World Series at Yankee Stadium on Oct 28. / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Dodgers beat the New York Yankees 4-2 on Monday night to move one step closer to a World Series championship.

The Dodgers now have a 3-0 lead on the Yankees in the series, meaning they are just one win away from their first title since the 2020 season.

In the win, Freddie Freeman provided the big blast - a two-run homer in the first inning. And Walker Buehler dominated on the mound by throwing five scoreless innings.

After injuring his shoulder in Game 2, Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani went 0-for-3 with a walk and a hit by pitch. He scored a run as well. Though he was in the lineup, Ohtani looked visibly uncomfortable on certain swings. He had a subluxation of his left shoulder just 48 hours earlier and former NFL team doctor David Chao opined he could possibly need surgery after the season.

After the game, Ohtani met with the media to discuss how his shoulder feels, the sling he was wearing on his arm and more. He said his shoulder was feeling better from a pain perspective. You can hear his full comments below from MLB Network:

Shohei Ohtani speaks postgame regarding his shoulder and how it felt in tonight's game. #WorldSeries pic.twitter.com/l2b7vCsCtV

— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) October 29, 2024

Ohtani is clearly gutting it out because it's the World Series, but it will be interesting to see what comes out after the season. If he does need surgery, how will that impact his ability to be ready for spring training in 2025? And if he needs surgery, how will that impact his pitching recovery over the offseason? He's been on a regimented throwing program that likely needs to ramp up, but he wouldn't be able to do that if he has to rest and recover.

Game 4 of the World Series is Tuesday night.

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