Shohei Ohtani Cleared to Play in Game 3 of World Series

In a divided country, one thing unites us: a desire to see Shohei Ohtani in the lineup for the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 3 of the World Series at the New York Yankees. Manager Dave Roberts said on Sunday, “He’s in a great spot. He is playing.”

On Saturday in Game 2, he suffered a partial dislocation of his left shoulder when sliding into second base during an attempted steal, and all of Los Angeles held its collective breath. The Dodgers won Game 2, but at what cost?

As it turns out, the cost won’t be any missed games. He may be a little sore when swinging the bat, but Ohtani will play.

Yankees Must Win Game 3

Even 80% of Ohtani is better than most players, and with a lineup as loaded as the Dodgers, L.A. might not even need that much. He has just one hit and one walk in eight at-bats, for a .125 batting average and a .222 on-base percentage. But the Dodgers are up, 2-0.

Their pitching has been outstanding, and conversely, the Yankees hitting has been bad. As a team, they are hitting .197 with two home runs. The presumptive American League MVP, Aaron Judge, has one single in nine at-bats to go along with six strikeouts. 

In World Series history, 56 times a team has fallen behind 2-0. In 45 of those World Series, the team behind ended up losing. That means that a team comes back from a 2-0 deficit less than 20% of the time. No team has come back from a 3-0 World Series deficit, and only once in any round of the playoffs has it happened. That was in 2004, when the Yankees were up 3-0 on the Boston Red Sox in the American League Championship Series, and Boston won four straight elimination games.

Game 3 at Yankee Stadium is a must-win for New York. Already the Dodgers sit at -425 favorites to win the series, compared to the +330 the Yankees are paying. The top four players in World Series MVP voting are all Dodgers, with Freddie Freeman and his two home runs leading the way at +1000. Tommy Edman has four hits in the series, and he is next at +600.

Juan Soto and Giancarlo Stanton, the two Yankees who have hit home runs, are at +1000.

The Yankees are favored in Game 3, paying -148 on the moneyline. L.A. pays +124 to go up by three games.

Game 3 Starting Pitchers

Walker Buehler – Los Angeles Dodgers

This has been a down season for Game 3 starter Walker Buehler. He made just 16 starts in 2024, and he managed to win just one of them. But he did pitch well against the New York Mets in the NLCS, throwing four shutout innings and striking out six. For the first time in quite some time, he looked like the 2023 All-Star that won 16 games.

“We love Walker in big games,” explained Roberts. “The road isn’t going to faze him. It also allows him potentially to be available for a Game 7.”

Beuhler’s over/under on strikeouts for the game is 4.5, and he pays +115 on the over. He is +290 to get the win, and -450 to have the loss or a no-decision.

Clarke Schmidt – New York Yankees

The Yankees will send Clarke Schmidt to the mound for Game 3. In some Yankee circles, he’s better known as the son of Dwight Schmidt, the pilot who flew New York’s charter flight to Los Angeles last week, then back to New York for Game 3.

Both Schmidts are hoping to make a return to Los Angeles at the end of the week – Clarke as a potential starting pitcher in a Game 7, and Dwight as the pilot who gets them there.

Like Buehler, Schmidt only made 16 starts this season. But when he was on the mound, he was good, compiling an ERA of 2.85 and striking out 93 batters in 85.1 innings. Schmidt pitched twice in the postseason, taking a no-decision in both starts.

Schmidt’s over/under on strikeouts is 4.5, with the over paying -125. He moves into plus money (+165) if gets to six or more strikeouts. Schmidt is +320 to get the win.

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