World Series Game 2: At What Cost?

 

It's weird that a team going up 2-0 before a day off still might be in a precarious position. But that's what the Dodgers are looking at right now. On one hand, they're absolutely embarrassing the Yankees. On the other, they just lost Shohei Ohtani to a shoulder injury. And nobody knows what that means for the rest of the series, or 2025, or anything. 

And that's the conundrum a lot of managers are facing right now. Do you run the risk of losing somebody next season if they can help you win a title? That was pretty much what Nestor Cortes said when he was announced to join the World Series roster, that if he overexerts himself and needs to miss 2025, but it gets the team a World Series, then it was worth it. Which is the single most unsettling, depressing, near-dystopian thing I've ever heard. He sounded like a guy who just got back surgery from a 96-straight-hour shift at the Amazon plant. 'Well, if the company makes its target then it'll have been for something'. Good gracious, Nestor, you're a human being too!

And that was the risk with Shohei Ohtani. He has the best season of his career on a Tommy John rehab year, but at the same time...if he gets hurt DURING that rehab year, then you just look silly. Got some nice, shiny awards out of it but now he has to miss more time. And the Dodgers already have enough guys doing that, even if they're probably gonna win a World Series despite that. And look, it's not the throwing shoulder, it won't mess up the pitching rehab, but...QB1 could be off the board with the season on the line. Let's be clear, the Dodgers have plenty of people who can be the hero instead. We saw many of them come to form tonight, like Tommy Edman, Tesocar Hernandez and Freddie Freeman. Even Yoshinobu Yamamoto had an incredible night on the mound. It's not unheard of for the Dodgers to still come off like a powerful team without Ohtani, but that's not the optimal route.

Again, we'll find out what Ohtani's full deal is, they're currently saying he dislocated it but you never know if it needs more repair than that. Best case scenario he just needs a day or so off. Worst case, everybody else needs to step up.

AND SPEAKING OF STEPPING UP...dear lord, the Yankees really are testing me. Judge is colder than Maine right now. The bulk of the lineup couldn't get anything done. Once again, Soto and Stanton had to be the heroes, but it all came down to Jose Trevino with the bases loaded and he couldn't capitalize on the moment. That's pretty damning when the Dodgers have people who can make magic happen with the bases loaded and two outs and the Yankees don't. That wins championships. And right now the Yankees really aren't looking like winners. Not at all.

Hopefully a day off and a home crowd can jumpstart something in this team. It'll be Schmidt v. Buehler, and Walker Buehler has found his mojo despite the occasional imperfection. If the Yankees want to take control of the moment, they'll actually do something here. If not, there's really not gonna be much to this World Series at all.