Why Ohtani will still be a threat to Jays even if he's pulled as a pitcher tonight

Believe it or not, the “Shohei Ohtani Rule” will likely come into play for Tuesday’s game.

When the MLB changed to the universal DH in 2022 — meaning National League teams were no longer forced to deploy their lowly pitchers for obligatory at bats — they also added the “Shohei Ohtani Rule,” which allows a starting pitcher who is designated hitting for himself to continue to go to bat even if he is pulled as a pitcher.

Before the rule was enacted, teams would lose that hitter and the relief pitcher would have to sub into the DH spot.

The rule technically deems Ohtani as “two separate people,” making Dave Roberts list 10 players on his lineup card including Ohtani twice, once as the starting pitcher and once as the DH.

Ohtani is starting in Game 4 of the World Series and even if he is pu