Shohei Ohtani was seeing red during Wednesday’s start … literally.
The Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Ohtani took the mound on Wednesday against the Tampa Bay Rays. But Ohtani definitely had to overcome some adversity during the game at UNIQLO Field at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, Calif.
Ohtani ended up giving up a season-worst four earned runs on seven hits and one walk. He also managed a modest five strikeouts but was particularly bad in the fourth inning.
The back-to-back reigning NL MVP Ohtani allowed all four of his earned runs in that fourth inning. After he finally retired the side, the issue for Ohtani became apparent.
Television cameras showed Ohtani walking back to the dugout with a bloody middle finger from a nasty blister on his pitching hand. The blood had even dripped onto Ohtani’s uniform at one point.
Looks as though Shohei Ohtani was dealing with the blister on his middle finger in that 4-run inning https://t.co/jVoOO3EA7U
— Adrian Medina (@AdrianMedina_16) June 17, 2026
Blood splatter from Shohei Ohtani’s blister is apparent on the pantleg. https://t.co/zXH3LZCfuV
— Adrian Medina (@AdrianMedina_16) June 17, 2026
Ohtani exited as a pitcher after six innings and 91 pitches thrown. But he was buoyed by enough run support and ended up earning the victory as the Dodgers defeated the Rays by a final score of 5-4.
The 31-year-old Ohtani has notably struggled with blisters while pitching in the past, even dating back to the early part of his tenure with the Los Angeles Angels. Wednesday’s blister did not derail him too badly though, and Ohtani now holds an impressive season-long record of 7-2 with a 1.47 ERA and a 0.88 WHIP through 12 starts.
