Shohei Ohtani misses Dodgers game for birth of second child

For the second Friday in a row, the Dodgers held Shohei Ohtani out of the lineup.

But it wasn’t knee inflammation sidelining him this time.

Prior to their game against Baltimore in Los Angeles — a game the Dodgers won on a walk-off 6-5 — the Dodgers announced their star is away from the team on paternity leave as he and his wife welcome their second child.

“We are again overjoyed to experience this wonderful day in our lives together. Thank you for being born safely,” the baseball star said in a joint statement with his wife Mamiko Tanaka on Friday, June 19.

“We would also like to express our heartfelt gratitude to everyone who has supported us throughout this journey,” the couple added.

However, the Dodgers announced Ohtani “is expected to be back at some point this weekend” and he was not placed on the paternity list. Being placed on the paternity list requires a player to miss at least one game but no more than three before being taken off the list.

Ohtani was the starting pitcher in the Dodgers’ previous game, getting the win in a 5-4 victory over Tampa Bay on Wednesday, June 17. He is not expected to be back on the mound until the middle of next week.

Kyle Tucker took Ohtani’s usual leadoff spot in the lineup while rookie Ryan Ward served as the designated hitter. Tucker went 1-for-4 with a run scored while Ward was 0-for-3 with a pair of walks and scored the winning run. – Rappler.com