As Shohei Ohtani was writhing in pain during Game 2 of the World Series Saturday night at Dodger Stadium, some New York Yankees fans took that as a cue to celebrate.
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The Dodgers’ star player sustained a partial dislocation of his left shoulder while sliding into second base on a caught-stealing play, which ended the seventh inning in Los Angeles’ Game 2 victory.
Yankees fans watching the game at Billy’s Sports Bar near Yankee Stadium appeared thrilled, as videos shared on X show some fans cheering, clapping, jumping, and raising their arms in excitement. One fan was seen giving Ohtan the middle finger.
The video has gone viral.
While the crowd in New York was loud, there was a silence that fell over Dodger Stadium.
“The whole stadium went silent,” said Dodgers left fielder Teoscar Hernández, who homered in the third inning. “You know how big Shohei is for this team. Hopefully, he’s okay, and the day off will help him get back on the field.”
The classless display might come back to bite the fans because Ohtani is expected to be in the lineup for Game 3 on Monday and seems to have avoided any type of severe injury.
“Obviously when you get any one of your players that goes down,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said, “it’s concerning. But after kind of the range of motion, the strength test, I felt much better about it. A lot of things go through your head, but you just have to stay positive.
“We’ll know more in the next couple days, but the strength was great, the range of motion good. So, we’re encouraged.”
Roberts knew Ohtani wasn’t going to miss any time during the World Series and that seems to be the case after he told Karl Ravech of ESPN.
“He’s in a great spot,” Roberts wrote in a text to Roberts. “He’s playing tomorrow.”
The Dodgers boarded their flight to New York with a 2-0 series lead, while Ohtani was scheduled for an examination in Los Angeles before heading to join the team. The Dodgers are set to compete in Games 3, 4, and potentially 5 at Yankee Stadium on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, if necessary.
