Shohei Ohtani quiets Blue Jays fans with historic single

Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani heard boos from the Toronto Blue Jays faithful as he entered the batter’s box at Rogers Center to start Game 7 of the World Series Saturday night, but he ended up making history.

Ohtani struck out Blue Jays starting pitcher Max Scherzer to start the game, which quieted the crowd for a brief moment. He became the first World Series starting pitcher to record a hit leading off the seventh game in five decades.

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Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers is safe at second on a ball hit by Will Smith against the Blue Jays in Game 7 of the World Series, Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025, in Toronto. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

The last time a pitcher recorded a hit in the start of a Game 7 of the World Series was in 1975, when Cincinnati Reds star Don Gullet and Boston Red Sox starter Bill Lee recorded hits.

If he gets a second hit, he will be the first starting pitcher to achieve this feat since Dizzy Dean in 1934.

Scherzer prepared and was able to settle in and drop Will Smith, Freddie Freeman and Mookie Betts after the single.

Ohtani managed to place third but failed to score.

Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Shohei Ohtani delivers against the Blue Jays in Game 7 of the World Series in Toronto on Saturday, November 1, 2025. (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP)

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The Dodgers star was also on the mound on three days’ rest as Los Angeles hoped for a Hollywood ending despite a unique rule that could have prevented him from picking up the bat and taking the mound in the same game.

MLB instituted a rule that if a starting pitcher was in the batting lineup, he could continue to hit even if he was taken off the mound — a rule that allowed Ohtani to remain in the game after being removed from the starting job.

However, if Ohtani started the game as the team’s designated hitter and later entered in relief, they would risk losing his powerful bat in the lineup when he came out as a pitcher.

The only way Ohtani could stay in the game after being used as a relief pitcher would be to play the field, something he hasn’t done often during his career. The three-time MVP has only taken the field 8 1/3 innings in his career and hasn’t done so since 2021.

Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers greets his teammates in the bullpen before Game 7 of the World Series against the Toronto Blue Jays on Saturday, November 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

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With all of this in mind, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts started Ohtani on the mound, ensuring that they could keep his bat in the game no matter how long he threw. It is not yet clear how involved Ohtani will be in the game.

Ryan Canfield of Fox News contributed to this report.

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