Major League Baseball might as well abolish the home run derby.
What’s the point of Shohei Ohtani saying Tuesday night that he probably won’t participate in the annual swing-a-thon?
“This time I think it comes down to me probably not participating,” Ohtani said in Japanese.
What a loss for the event, which will be held on July 15 at Globe Life Field in Texas, one day before the All-Star Game.
What a loss for baseball.
Still, Ohtani’s decision should not be seen as a dereliction of duty to promote the sport.
This is a sacrifice. This is a calculated bet. This is an acknowledgement of what is at stake.
Ohtani wants to play in the playoffs.
“The reason he came to the Dodgers,” manager Dave Roberts said, “was to win a championship.”
All-Star week isn’t baseball’s main stage.
It’s October.
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Roberts said Ohtani is “very much in tune with his responsibility” as the face of baseball.
“No player has changed the face of baseball more than Shohei, on a global scale,” Roberts said.
If Ohtani wins a home run derby or even plays in one, it could put baseball in the spotlight for a few days. If Ohtani dominates the playoffs, it could reverse the sport’s declining popularity.
The widespread excitement about his possible participation in the derby was entirely understandable, given his performance with the Dodgers.
Ohtani leads the National League in home runs with 27.
The most recent of those was the 6-5 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Tuesday night, in which Ohtani hit a slider from Justin Martinez into right field after catching a 101 mph fastball.
“I don’t know how he could do that,” first baseman Freddie Freeman said. “It’s hard to imagine because I’m rolling that over.”
The home run was Ohtani’s 10th in the last 14 games. The ball traveled an estimated 433 feet, but was only his 10th-longest home run of the season.
Ohtani said last week that he wanted to play in the derby but warned that his participation was subject to the approval of team officials, coaches and doctors as he continues to recover from his surgical right elbow.
In other words, the decision would take into account his expected return to the mound. The two-way player is expected to pitch again next year. Future Octobers were also on the line.
Roberts admitted that he would have preferred Ohtani to skip the event. Ultimately, after what Roberts described as a “group discussion,” Ohtani agreed.
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“It’s not just his responsibility to carry Major League Baseball,” Roberts said.
In addition to his elbow rehabilitation, Ohtani pointed to the number of strikes he would have to take as a reason for not participating. New rules allow hitters to take a maximum of 40 strikes in each of the first two rounds and 27 in the final.
Ohtani has appeared in a derby before, in 2021. He was eliminated in the round, but set a record for most home runs over 500 feet with six.
“In any other normal situation, where he wasn’t rehabbing, I think he would be happy to compete,” Roberts said. “But then you add something that’s so unique to everyone, the volume of the swings, the intensity of it, it would just be a real disappointment to not only Shohei, the Dodgers and the fans, if something were to happen during something like that, which is essentially an exhibition.”
Read more: A look inside Shohei Ohtani’s baseball journey
Ohtani will be in Texas for the All-Star Game, having received more fan votes than any other designated hitter in the NL.
Still, his exclusion from one of the week’s biggest events will matter. Will a casual sports fan tune in to see Gunnar Henderson in the derby? Does a casual sports fan even know who Gunnar Henderson is?
Ohtani has placed a big bet on the Dodgers. He has gambled that they will make the necessary moves to give them a realistic chance to win in October. He has gambled that he will perform once he gets there.
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This story originally appeared in the Los Angeles Times.
