Toronto Blue Jays manager John Schneider took issue with the treatment Shohei Ohtani received in the first inning of Game 7 of the World Series at Rogers Center in Toronto, Canada on Saturday night.
Ohtani was the leadoff batter for the Los Angeles Dodgers in the game and singled to right-center field. He moved over to third with two outs but was stranded there after Mookie Betts grounded out to end the inning. After that, Ohtani had to get ready to pitch.
MLB teams receive 2:55 to get ready for the next half-inning during nationally televised games, which Game 7 was. When Ohtani emerged from the dugout, there were 40 seconds left on the clock. Despite that, he took five of his maximum-allotted eight warm-up pitches. The five warm-up pitches took longer than 40 seconds, which led to a complaint from Schneider.
John Schneider spoke with Jordan Baker in-between innings after Shohei Ohtani got extra warm-up time before the bottom of the 1st
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) November 2, 2025
📺: #WorldSeries Game 7 on FOX pic.twitter.com/w2bWNQZz76
“That was shocking to me that they allowed him to have that many warm-up pitches when he was that late to the mound. I’m sure they made an exception,” FOX announcer John Smoltz speculated on the broadcast.
Ohtani also received plenty of time to warm up before the third inning as he had made the final out of the top of the third.
FOX went to umpire Mark Carlson from the replay center who explained that the amount of time a player receives to get ready comes at the discretion of the umpire. In essence, Carlson was saying that the umpires are giving Ohtani extra time because they know he was just on base.
MLB rules state that “umpires may provide extra time if warranted by special circumstances.”
Here's the deal.
— Jake Mintz (@Jake_Mintz) November 2, 2025
Umpire has discretion to wave off the between-innings clock and add additional time "if warranted by special circumstances."
So Ohtani getting some flex in between the 1st inning is kosher within the letter of the law.https://t.co/uF63JZPjgV pic.twitter.com/MaR6L7zDm5
Ohtani was granted extra time because these were deemed to be special circumstances, like him being on base or making the last out. Perhaps justice was served for Toronto when Bo Bichette hit a 3-run home run in the bottom of the third inning to knock Ohtani out of the game.
Schneider later said during an interview on FOX in the fourth inning that he felt the extra time given to Ohtani was “egregious.”
