Shohei Ohtani's risky base running with left knee injury raised concerns; Roberts confirmed after the game: He's fine.

Shohei Ohtani's left knee injury remains unresolved. There is still no timetable for "Pitcher Ohtani" to return, and the condition of "Batter Ohtani" is equally worrying. During a base-running play in the sixth inning tonight, his left foot took a direct and severe impact, making the scene nerve-wracking to watch. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts specifically asked about his condition after the game, and the response was, "He said he's fine, no problem at all."

Shohei Ohtani's left knee inflammation has been recurring. Although he received treatment during the All-Star break, he still felt discomfort after resuming catch-and-throw drills. The Dodgers have canceled his originally scheduled start on July 23 against the Phillies, and it remains unknown when he will return to the mound.

Today, Ohtani played as a hitter in both games of the doubleheader. In the afternoon game, he recorded two hits, and in the evening game, he contributed an infield single. However, what drew more attention was the alarming moment in the sixth inning. At that time, Ohtani hit a ground ball toward first base, sprinted hard to reach the bag, and stretched his left foot out for a big step to touch the base. This motion put extreme stress on his left knee. The broadcast crew repeatedly showed slow-motion replays of his running form and facial expressions, leaving everyone worried whether this would aggravate his injury.

"I've already checked with him, and he said he's fine," Roberts gave a reassuring answer after the game. After Ohtani personally confirmed that there was no issue, Roberts himself likely breathed a sigh of relief.

The Dodgers lost the evening game 1-2, and they had a chance to take the lead in the eighth inning. With a runner in scoring position, Ohtani swung and missed at a clearly low pitch from closer David Bednar, resulting in a strikeout. Regarding this, Roberts analyzed that the opposing pitcher clearly had no intention of giving him any hittable pitches, and Ohtani chased a ball well outside the strike zone. "A swing decision like tonight's hasn't been seen from Ohtani in a long time."

According to a report by Japanese media *Hochi Sports*, the first game of the day started in the early hours of Beijing time, and the second game ended close to morning. Ohtani spent nearly ten hours at the ballpark, and including pre-game preparation, it totaled about twelve hours. The injured Ohtani thus endured an extremely long day on the road.