Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani Could Do Home Run Derby if MLB Makes Major Change

The Los Angeles Dodgers were well-represented in an unprecedented All-Star Game on Tuesday that ended in a home run swing-off after the score was tied after nine innings.

The flow of the tiebreaker was reminiscent of the timer-less Home Run Derbys of the past as the National League won the Midsummer Classic thanks to Kyle Schwarber's three straight dingers in the first ever swing-off.

When superstar Shohei Ohtani was asked about his potential participation in the Home Run Derby earlier this month, he seemed to lean towards a desire for the untimed Derby of old as he politely hinted at declining the event.

“That’s not for me to decide,” Ohtani said. “However, personally, I think there could be limits on the number of pitches, the number of swings, and a focus on flight distance.”

The Home Run Derby changed the 10-out rule in 2015 to have players try and hit as many home runs as possible in a certain amount of time (as of 2021, the limit is three minutes) with bonus time given for home runs that exceed a certain distance.

“With the current rules, it’s pretty difficult,” Ohtani said last month, “so for now, I don’t think there’s much of a chance (of him competing)."

Ohtani is still working to fully ramp up as a pitcher after a 2023 UCL surgery, his second such procedure since entering MLB, and a torn labrum suffered this past October in the World Series that also required offseason surgery.

With Ohtani only having thrown nine total innings on the year and looking to be fully ramped up by the postseason, the unnecessary injury risk wouldn't be worth it for the exhibition contest. The hope is to still have the three-time MVP pitching at his best by October.

Regardless of what the rules were, there is always a risk when trying to launch a baseball as far as possible, whether it be in batting practice, a regular season game, or the Home Run Derby. However, the hastened approach that batters have to take in the Derby are nowhere near the ideal conditions for such a valuable player coming off of recent surgeries.