Why the Blue Jays keep walking Shohei Ohtani? Inside baseball’s most fearful strategy in World Series Game 3

Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers starred in an unforgettable night on October 28, 2025, at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles during Game 3 of the 2025 World Series. He went 4-for-4 with two home runs and two doubles, and reached base nine times, setting a postseason record. But what stood out even more was how the Toronto Blue Jays decided not to pitch to him, choosing instead to walk him intentionally five times a bold and unusual tactic. The Blue Jays’ decision to keep issuing walks to Ohtani came after he demolished their pitching early. By the seventh inning, Ohtani had already doubled off Max Scherzer, homered off Seranthony Domínguez, and driven in a run with an RBI double. At that moment, Toronto manager John Schneider made a clear call: “After that, you just kind of take the bat out of his hands.” Beginning in the ninth inning and continuing through extra innings, the Blue Jays purposefully walked Ohtani four straight times before accidentally giving another walk in the 17th inning. Asked if the plan would go for the duration of the series, Schneider said "Yeah".The logic was simple: Ohtani is so dangerous that avoiding him might reduce risk. Schneider said, “You got to really execute at a high level against him.”The Blue Jays essentially opted to face the hitters behind him, such as Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman, rather than let Ohtani swing freely. In one of the longest World Series games, the Dodgers and Blue Jays fought into the 18th inning on Monday night at Dodger Stadium. history, spanning six hours and 39 minutes and matching the record for innings played. Shohri Ohtani's performance was amazing: he hit a solo homer in the third inning, added another in the seventh to tie the game, and doubled twice earlier.After his seventh-inning home run, the Blue Jays handed him base on balls intentionally over and over. Also Read: Taylor Swift’s Handwritten Message To Livvy Dunne Goes Viral After Sending Her ‘Life Of A Showgirl’ Album As Surprise GiftTheir relief arms couldn’t stop the Dodger offence, and finally, in the bottom of the 18th inning, Freddie Freeman launched the walk-off homer to give Los Angeles a 6-5 win and a 2-1 lead in the series. Schneider and his staff believed they were making the safer choice by avoiding Ohtani at the plate. But analysts suggested the strategy might have back-fired since Ohtani punished them before they even started the walk plan.