Dodgers Opinion: Should Ohtani Close Games in October?

LOS ANGELES, CA—As the Los Angeles Dodgers enter the final weeks of the 2025 Major League Baseball regular season, one issue that remains is the ninth inning.

Even with the returns of Tanner Scott, Kirby Yates, and Blake Treinen, the team has yet to lock down the final inning of a game, which has frustrated fans and Dodgers manager Dave Roberts.

As of now, the Dodgers are on pace to win the National League West, but not to finish with a top two seed, meaning the team would have to play a best-of-three series in the Wild Card round.

This raises two questions: A, who will be in the starting rotation, and B, whether to consider using Ohtani as a closer in October.

The Current Options Aren’t Getting It Done

Make no mistake, the backend of the Dodgers’ bullpen has been a problem, particularly in the ninth inning of games.

As a collective unit, the Dodgers’ bullpen has the fifth-worst ERA in the ninth inning at 4.76. They’ve allowed the third most runs at fifty-nine and are top in the league in blown saves.

The lack of success, in large part, has been on top left-handed pitching free agent Tanner Scott, who inked a massive 4-year, $72 million contract this offseason to be the Dodgers’ lockdown closer in games.

So far, it’s been the opposite.

Overall, in his first season with Dodger Blue, Scott has posted a 4.45 ERA, a 4.49 FIP, and an HR/FB rate that has increased to 18.9%, the highest since 2021’s 17.1%. He has also recorded his highest HR/9 innings at 1.79 and is striking out batters at a career-low rate of 9.3 per nine innings.

The cherry on top is that Scott has blown a career-high nine saves this season, more than the previous two years combined between his stint with the Miami Marlins and San Digio Padres.

Since being activated off the 15-day injured list, it’s been even worse for Scott, who has posted a 7.71 ERA and collected just two strikeouts in six appearances, including blowing back-to-back games in Baltimore.

However, the problems late in games are not just exclusive to Tanner Scott.

The Dodgers’ other two bullpen additions this offseason, Blake Treinen and Kirby Yates, have been nearly as bad.

Yates, 38, signed a 1-year deal with Los Angeles after posting career-best numbers in Texas last season. So far, his age has shown with the righty posting a 4.71 ERA and seeing his HR/9 jump to 1.73.

Treinen, 37, signed a 2-year, $22 million deal last offseason following his heroics in the Dodgers’ postseason run. However, he has missed a significant portion of the season due to a right forearm injury and currently holds a 4.05 ERA.

The current situation has been hectic for the Dodgers’ faithful. Still, it’s also been unbearable for Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, who has now stated that he’s hoping that in the last three weeks of the season, he can find arms to trust in October.

Ohtani Gives Them the Best Chance in the 9th

Everything regarding Ohtani the pitcher this season has been new, not only for Ohtani but for the Dodgers organization.

Rather than lose Ohtani’s bat in the lineup by having the two-way supertstar go out on a minor league rehab assignment for a handful of starts, the Dodgers opted to have Ohtani gradually build up in regular-season games.

On June 16th, Ohtani finally made his Dodgers pitching debut, tossing just one inning. From there, the effort was to continue increasing the workload, taking it one inning at a time.

Fast forward to now, and Ohtani is now built up for five innings, a limit that he’ll probably stay at for the remainder of the regular season.

Despite the 3.75 ERA this season, Ohtani has been utterly dominant on the mound, posting a 2.17 FIP, 32.7 strikeout percentage, 0.75 HR/9, and ranking in the 95th percentile in fastball velocity and generating a 33.6 whiff percentage.

However, the Dodgers’ current pace, even after winning their last four games, would place them as the third seed in the National League, which would, in turn, put the team in a three-game Wild Card series.

The Dodgers’ starting rotation has been dominant since August 1st, ranking in the top three in fWAR, ERA, and FIP, so it’s safe to assume that during a three-game set, the ball would likely go to Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow, Blake Snell, or Clayton Kershaw.

But even in a short three-game series, do you think the Dodgers would waste Ohtani’s arm on the bench? The short answer is no.

Most of Ohtani’s numbers track well for a bullpen arm, whether that’s for one inning or a bulk role; it’s also not a position he’s unfamiliar with.

We have all seen the video of when Ohtani closed out the 2023 World Baseball Classic, striking out Mike Trout and securing the win for Samurai Japan over the United States.

That’s a sign that we could see in a clinching Wild Card game; however, getting to that point is complicated and would require the stars to align.

Will It Happen? That’s Complicated

Ohtani’s two-way player status gives the Dodgers a massive advantage, as it allows the team to carry an “extra” pitcher on its active roster.

With regards to Ohtani hitting as the team’s designated hitter and starting the game as a pitcher, the Ohtani rule allows a two-way player to stay in the game as a hitter despite being removed from the mound. However, this only applies to a starting pitching role, not relief.

If Ohtani is placed in a game as a bullpen arm, replacing a pitcher, the Dodgers would surrender their designated hitter spot. This means that if they replaced Ohtani on the mound with another pitcher, that pitcher would be in line to hit.

As long as Ohtani stays on the mound, he’d be the pitcher hitting in the designated hitter spot, and if the team ends up replacing him, he can still remain in the game if Dave Roberts does a double switch—meaning placing Ohtani at a position such as the outfield.

Warming up Ohtani is also another hurdle; if he’s due up to bat in the top of the 9th or bottom of the 8th inning in a save situation, it’s hard to warm up as a pitcher. If that were the case, it would likely mean, regardless of the situation, Ohtani would not pitch.

The ideal scenario is the Dodgers taking the lead, followed by the core of their lineup batting that inning. Meanwhile, Ohtani heads to the bullpen to warm up briefly, then swiftly closes out the game or series.

It’s what fans want. It’s what Major League Baseball wants, and most importantly, if asked, it’s what Ohtani would want.

With the postseason on the horizon, I’d be willing to wager that we will see Ohtani in one or more save situations this October, possibly as early in the National League Wild Card if they need him. But mark my words, will see him there this season.

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