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Mookie Betts understands Shohei Ohtani’s playoff struggles: ‘It’s really, really hard’

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Hernandez, D. (2026, October 14). Mookie Betts understands Shohei Ohtani’s playoff struggles: ‘It’s really, really hard’. New York Post. https://nypost.com/2026/10/14/sports/mookie-betts-shohei-ohtani-playoff-struggles-nlcs-brewers/

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New York Post · collected 2026-10-14 · by Dylan Hernandez

Quick Summary

Mookie Betts empathizes with Shohei Ohtani's struggles during the National League Championship Series due to injuries. Two years ago, Betts himself suffered a fractured left hand from a fastball and took nearly two years to recover fully. Ohtani has been dealing with discomfort in his right arm and left knee since September. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts described Ohtani’s condition as affecting “everything.” Betts acknowledges that making adjustments while injured can negatively impact performance, noting it is particularly challenging for someone like Ohtani who faces high expectations.
Written by AI on 2026-10-14, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

Mookie Betts empathizes with Shohei Ohtani's current struggles during the National League Championship Series, understanding the difficulties of playing while injured. Two years ago, Betts himself was sidelined by a fractured left hand caused by a 98 mph fastball. "It’s really, really hard," Betts said, noting it took him nearly two years to recover and return to form. Before being placed on the injured list in September due to discomfort in his right arm and left knee, Ohtani had been dealing with physical limitations, as noted by Dodgers manager Dave Roberts who described Ohtani's condition as "everything." Betts highlighted that when players are hurt but still want to play, they make adjustments that can negatively impact their performance. He believes the pressure on Ohtani is even greater due to his dual role as both a pitcher and hitter.

Written for “Mookie Betts On Shohei Ohtani Struggles” on 2026-11-06, grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Mookie Betts On Shohei Ohtani Struggles
Sports · 1 article(s) covering the same event.

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 0% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
Bench Shohei Ohtani? Dodgers have to consider drastic action with season in danger Different event
New York Post
Hedges 6 of 35 claims Outlet record 66/100
“The articles discuss different aspects of Shohei Ohtani's performance and situation, but they do not describe the same specific incident or occurrence.”
Shohei Ohtani electrifies Dodgers with mammoth home run in NLCS Game 4 Different event
New York Post
Hedges 1 of 10 claims Outlet record 66/100
“The articles discuss different aspects of Shohei Ohtani's performance and Mookie Betts' understanding of his struggles, but they do not describe the same specific incident or moment.”
Awestruck Brewers wary of Shohei Ohtani heroics despite injuries: ‘It just takes one day’ Different event
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Hedges 1 of 36 claims Outlet record 66/100
“Both articles discuss Shohei Ohtani's performance issues due to injuries during the NLCS, but they feature different players expressing their views (Garrett Mitchell in Article A and Mookie Betts in Article B).”
Dodgers make desperate move with Shohei Ohtani as three-peat is on brink of collapse Different event
New York Post
Hedges 0 of 5 claims Outlet record 66/100
“Article A discusses Mookie Betts' understanding of Shohei Ohtani's playoff struggles due to injuries, while Article B reports on a strategic lineup change made by the Dodgers for Ohtani during Game 4 of the NLCS.”
Shohei Ohtani will be in Dodgers' Game 3 lineup against Brewers Different event
Toronto Star
Hedges 0 of 39 claims Outlet record 64/100
“The articles discuss different aspects of Shohei Ohtani's situation, with Article A focusing on him being in the lineup for Game 3 and Article B discussing Mookie Betts' understanding of Ohtani's struggles.”
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
26
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
0%
0 of 26 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
Publisher signals
66/100
New York Post's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
1
Sports
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-10-14 · how these are computed

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Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

New York Post · 17584 article(s) · 36 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 36 correction(s)
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Who wrote this

Dylan Hernandez
30 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
🔮 This was either the best news the Dodgers could have received or an early death knell for their next season.
2026-10-17 · assertive framing · What Dodgers should read into Shohei Ohtani’s remarks on two-way role
🔮 The Milwaukee Brewers saw that it wouldn’t.
2026-10-16 · assertive framing · Dodgers face an offseason reckoning after stunning NLCS sweep
🔮 Now, with the Dodgers trailing the Brewers in the National League Championship Series and unable to count on a physically-limited Ohtani to jumpstart their offense, Betts will have to turn back the clock.
2026-10-14 · assertive framing · Mookie Betts could be the answer to the Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani problem
🔮 Betts imagined that navigating the situation would be more difficult for Ohtani because of his stature.
2026-10-14 · assertive framing · Mookie Betts understands Shohei Ohtani’s playoff struggles: ‘It’s really, really hard’
🔮 Reminded that he couldn’t feel his fingers in the World Series, Snell revealed that was also the case in the previous round when he limited the Milwaukee Brewers to one hit over eight scoreless innings in Game 1 of the National League Championship Series. “If I could do it in the CS,” he said, “I could have done it in the World Series.”
2026-10-13 · assertive framing · Blake Snell tasked with saving Dodgers’ season, eyes October redemption — and a new image
🔮 The Dodgers are behind by two games in this race to four wins, and in the wake of their 7-4 defeat in Game 2 at American Family Field, they find themselves praying the Brewers will miraculously run out of gas before they reach the finish line.
2026-10-13 · assertive framing · Dodgers’ biggest advantages are disappearing at the worst possible time
🔮 Beyond that, they have right-hander Dustin May and left-hander Robert Gasser.
2026-10-12 · assertive framing · Dodgers are in for a fight — and Brewers just proved it
🔮 MILWAUKEE – At this stage of the playoffs last year, Brewers manager Pat Murphy joked that he was certain the Dodgers couldn’t name eight players on his roster.
2026-10-11 · assertive framing · Brewers still underdogs against Dodgers — but with new attitude
🔮 To be the kind of player who could be trusted in big games, Pages figured, he had to become a more selective hitter.
2026-10-08 · assertive framing · Andy Pages’ NLDS heroics for Dodgers were a year in the making
🔮 It will happen.”
2026-10-08 · assertive framing · Doctober classic propels Dodgers to NLCS in quest for World Series three-peat
Also by Dylan Hernandez
What Dodgers should read into Shohei Ohtani’s remarks on two-way role
2026-10-17 · New York Post
Dodgers face an offseason reckoning after stunning NLCS sweep
2026-10-16 · New York Post
Mookie Betts could be the answer to the Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani problem
2026-10-14 · New York Post
Blake Snell tasked with saving Dodgers’ season, eyes October redemption — and a new image
2026-10-13 · New York Post
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 30 articles by Dylan Hernandez →

Topics

Dodgers this National League Championship Series

Subjects

Betts PERSON · 6× Ohtani PERSON · 4× Dave Roberts PERSON · 1× Dodgers ORG · 1× Mookie Betts PERSON · 1× Shohei Ohtani PERSON · 1×

Narrative

Before he was placed on the injured list in September, Ohtani said he was experiencing discomfort in his right arm and left knee.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-10-14
🔮 Betts imagined that navigating the situation would be more difficult for Ohtani because of his stature.
2026-10-14 · New York Post
Mookie Betts understands Shohei Ohtani’s playoff struggles: ‘It’s really, really hard’ · assertive framing

Claims (26 extracted, 0 hedged)

Mookie Betts understands what Shohei Ohtani is dealing with in this National League Championship Series. asserted
Ohtani → understand → Series
Betts knows what can happen to a once-dangerous swing when a hitter takes the field with physical limitations. asserted
hitter → know → limitations
Two years ago, Betts was struck by a 98 mph fastball and fractured his left hand. asserted
Betts → strike → hand
“It’s really, really hard,” Betts said. asserted
Betts → ’ → ?
“It took me almost like two years before I was able to really kind of feel normal again and get those bad habits out.” asserted
I → take → habits
Before he was placed on the injured list in September, Ohtani said he was experiencing discomfort in his right arm and left knee. asserted
he → place → arm
Asked on Tuesday what was bothering Ohtani, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said, “It’s everything.” asserted
It → ask → Ohtani
“When you’re hurt, you just want to play,” Betts said. asserted
Betts → hurt → ?
“So you’ll make adjustments to the swing or to your body so you can play. asserted
you → make → body
Then you don’t want to hurt while you play, so you make the adjustments to where your body doesn’t feel it. asserted
body → want → it
Sometimes it’s to the detriment of who you are as a player, and you don’t really realize it.” asserted
you → ’ → it
Betts imagined that navigating the situation would be more difficult for Ohtani because of his stature. asserted
navigating → imagine → stature
“I couldn’t imagine really kind of having the expectations that he has and falling short in a way that it’s not normal for him. asserted
it → imagine → him
Then having to come back and be present in this postseason knowing how important he is to the boys.” asserted
he → have → boys
Ohtani is hitting .150 in the postseason. asserted
Ohtani → hit → postseason
“He’s trying,” Betts said. asserted
Betts → try → ?
“It’s just really, really hard. asserted
It → ’ → ?
It’s really hard to make these slight adjustments in this short amount of time. asserted
It → ’ → time
Like I said, it took me almost two years. asserted
it → say → years
I feel for him. asserted
I → feel → him
I know he’s grinding, he’s working. asserted
he → know → ?
So we’ll just see. asserted
we → see → ?
We’ll see how he comes and prepares. asserted
he → see → ?
“But I know he’s giving it his all. asserted
he → know → all
We know he’s giving it his all. asserted
he → know → all
We can at least lay our heads on a pillow at night knowing that we’ve given it everything.” asserted
we → lay → everything
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