Santiago Espinal’s Disastrous Strikeout Could Spell End to His Time With Dodgers
Santiago Espinal’s brutal three-pitch strikeout against the Astros has Dodgers fans calling for a DFA. With Mookie Betts returning, is Espinal’s time in LA over?
The Los Angeles Dodgers’ 2-1 loss to the Houston Astros was frustrating for several reasons. Shohei Ohtani was on the mound , and in his first seven-inning outing since Tommy John surgery, he gave up two solo home runs but was otherwise stellar. The problem was that the Dodgers couldn’t knock in runners, an issue that’s persisted for the past several weeks .
But one at-bat in particular especially irritated Dodgers fans. Mar 10, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Santiago Espinal against the Arizona Diamondbacks during a spring training game at Camelback Ranch-Glendale. Mandatory Credit: Mark J.
Rebilas-Imagn Images In the ninth inning, the Dodgers had one out and the tying run on first base. Infielder Santiago Espinal, who’d been the hero of spring training , was put in as a pinch hitter, only for him to strike out on three straight pitches. Why Santiago Espinal’s strikeout was so bad It’s impossible to avoid all strikeouts in baseball, but some are better than others.
This one, as sportswriter and Dodgers fan Blake Harris described it, was “legitimately one of the worst at bats I have ever seen. ” Legitimately one of the worst at bats I have ever seen pic. twitter.