It was supposed to be another night of baseball brilliance, but Shohei Ohtani’s start for the Los Angeles Dodgers in Saturday’s World Series clash against the Toronto Blue Jays stirred up controversy instead.
Fans were left furious after the two-way superstar appeared to receive extra time to warm up before taking the mound — something many claimed was “special treatment” from Major League Baseball.
Ohtani Takes His Time on the Mound
As Fox Sports returned from a commercial break at the top of the first inning, Ohtani was only just stepping out of the dugout to begin his warm-up routine.
Normally, pitchers have just three minutes between innings before they must start pitching, and exceeding that limit can trigger a pace-of-play violation.
However, Ohtani reportedly took closer to four and a half minutes before he began pitching — and rather than penalize him, umpires restarted the clock to give him more time in both the first and third innings.
That leniency immediately drew the ire of Blue Jays manager John Schneider, who protested several times but was ultimately ignored.
Fans Cry Foul Over “Special Treatment”
Social media quickly erupted with frustration as fans accused MLB of favoring its biggest global star.
“I’m sorry, this is complete BS,” one fan wrote on X (formerly Twitter). “@MLB giving Ohtani extra time? The special treatment for this guy is garbage.”
Another user chimed in, “Clearly it should be the same rules for all teams and players.”
A third added, “If we’re worried about injury, then rest him — don’t rewrite the rules. Love Ohtani, but this is unfair.”
Others were even blunter, accusing MLB of “cheating for him” and stressing that “there shouldn’t be special rules for anyone.”
MLB Rulebook Offers an Explanation
Despite the online fury, the league’s own rules appear to justify the umpires’ decision.
According to MLB’s pace-of-play policy, the between-inning timer starts when the final out of the inning is recorded — unless the pitcher is still on base, on deck, or at bat.
In those cases, the timer begins only once the pitcher leaves the dugout to head to the mound.
There’s also a clause that allows umpires to grant extra time in “special circumstances,” such as when a player needs additional time to prepare after being on the field or at bat.
Ohtani happened to be on base at the end of the top of the first and made the final out in the third — both scenarios that legally permitted him extra time to warm up.
Extra Time Doesn’t Save Ohtani from Tough Outing
While the extended warm-up may have followed the rulebook, it didn’t do much to help Ohtani’s performance.
Pitching on just three days’ rest, he started strong with fastballs hitting 100.9 mph but ran into serious trouble by the third inning.
After hustling to field a bunt, Ohtani threw a wild pitch to Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who was then intentionally walked.
Moments later, Bo Bichette crushed a hanging slider 442 feet for a three-run homer — his first since early September before suffering a knee injury.
Ohtani was pulled after 2 1/3 innings, allowing three runs on five hits, walking two, and striking out three.
His early exit left fans wondering if the Dodgers’ ace had simply run out of gas.
Roberts Defends His Star Pitcher
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts later defended his decision to give Ohtani the start on short rest, pointing to his extraordinary work ethic and competitiveness.
Still, the debate over whether MLB’s biggest name received too much leniency continues to swirl — highlighting the tension between maintaining fair play and accommodating the game’s global superstar.