World Series Game 2 Takeaways: Dodgers Take 2–0 Lead As Shohei Ohtani Exits With Injury

Yoshinobu Yamamoto cruised as the Dodgers hit three home runs, yet the team is left to hold its breath after Ohtani left the game with a shoulder injury following an attempted stolen base.

Teoscar Hernández and Freddie Freeman hit back-to-back homers in the third inning of the Dodgers' 4–2 win over the Yankees in Game 2 of the World Series. / Erick W. Rasco / Sports Illustrated

After the dramatics of the first game of the World Series, Saturday’s contest was far more straightforward—that is, until the top of the ninth inning (more on that in a bit). Los Angeles Dodgers hitters jumped on New York Yankees starter Carlos Rodón. The lefty gave up three home runs—including back-to-back jacks to Teoscar Hernández and Freddie Freeman—and he was chased out of the game in the fourth inning. Meanwhile, Dodgers starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto had one of his best outings of the year, and the final score was Los Angeles 4, New York 2. The win puts the Dodgers up 2–0 in the series.

The Yankees did not go out without a fight, though. After Giancarlo Stanton drove in Juan Soto with an RBI single that struck the third base bag, the next two hitters reached to load the bases with one out. Dodgers closer Blake Treinen struck out Anthony Volpe, then Alex Vesia came in and retired Jose Trevino on one pitch to escape the jam and secure the win.

But the Dodgers’ joy was tempered. In the bottom of the seventh, Shohei Ohtani drew a walk to get on base and attempted to steal second. He was thrown out—and was then slow to get up, finally leaving with a trainer, moving his left arm gingerly. He was seen leaving the dugout between innings; Ohtani’s spot in the lineup did not come up again. The broadcast reported that it was a shoulder injury but did not say anything regarding the severity. It leaves a tense situation for the Dodgers: There is no player on either of these rosters whose star power is so bright or whose ability to change a game is so profound. If Ohtani is indeed injured, the rest of this series might look meaningfully different, and that attempted steal may ultimately turn out to be the most important play of this game. 

Ohtani injured his shoulder on an attempted stolen base during Game 2 of the World Series. / Erick W. Rasco / Sports Illustrated

Here are three other takeaways from the action: 

Carlos Rodón depends on his fastball—and comes up short

Rodón tweaked his pitch mix this year to begin relying on his fastball less. After letting the heater make up roughly 60% of his pitches in each of the last three seasons, Rodón switched to using it less than half of the time in 2024, making up the difference by using his slider and making his changeup into a legitimate offering. But he went back to relying on the heater during Game 2. The Dodgers can be deadly against secondary stuff: They had the highest slugging percentage in baseball both on breaking balls and the highest on offspeed pitches. They’re exceptionally patient—they drew more walks this year than any team other than the Yankees—and will lay off anything outside of the zone they do not especially like. So against this lineup in the World Series, Rodón went back to relying on his fastball, which made up 60% of his pitches on Saturday. It was the highest proportion of fastballs that he’d thrown in a game since April. 

Through four starts this postseason, Rodón has a 5.60 ERA and has failed to get through four innings twice. / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

The adjustment did not pay off. All three of the home runs that Rodón allowed came on fastballs. Two of the three other hits that he allowed came on fastballs. The Dodgers ultimately had 22 swings on Rodón’s fastball and made contact on 21 of them. Some of these were not particularly bad pitches: The home run to Freeman, in particular, seemed to be located almost perfectly. But such is life against the Dodgers. These hitters are talented enough to make something from whatever you give them. (Keep in mind it’s not just the MVPs: Tommy Edman and Hernández have shown they can hit you just as hard this October.) It can feel all but impossible to game plan for their weaknesses. There are simply too many strengths here. And now Rodón can vouch for that. 

Yoshinobu Yamamoto gives the Dodgers length

Yamamoto had not pitched beyond the fifth inning once since he returned from a shoulder injury in August. But in Game 2 of the World Series, the biggest stage he had ever pitched on in MLB, the righty dug deep and delivered. After struggling with his command in the early going—Yamamoto required 21 pitches to get through the first inning—he was close to pristine for much of the rest of the night. The one blemish on his outing was a home run by Juan Soto. (You simply cannot try to sneak a fastball past one of the greatest young hitters in the game.) But that was the only hit that he gave up all night. He retired the final 11 batters that he saw. Yamamoto pitched into the seventh inning—something he last did in June—and finished with one of his best line scores in months.

The fact that he managed to go so relatively deep into the night may end up being quite important. The Dodgers’ rotation has been so ravaged by injuries that bullpen games have been necessary to get through each of these later playoff rounds. None of their remaining starters are especially known for length. Anything this group can do to save the bullpen could be crucial—both in terms of fatigue and in terms of limiting the looks this lineup gets at them. 

Whither Aaron Judge?

The Yankees slugger and presumptive MVP entered Game 2 hitting 6-for-36 this postseason with 16 strikeouts. (That’s a batting average of .167.) His performance on Saturday did not help. Judge went 0-for-4. He struck out swinging three times and flew out to right field. 

Yankees manager Aaron Boone was asked on Friday night if he would consider dropping Judge below Stanton in the lineup. His answer was simple: “No,” he said. “No.” But that question feels all the more valid now.

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