Tanner Scott loses on a walk-off home run; Shohei Ohtani fully prepared but never got to pinch hit

On June 4, the Los Angeles Dodgers visited the Arizona Diamondbacks. The game remained deadlocked at 2-2 through nine innings. In the bottom of the ninth, closer Tanner Scott surrendered a walk-off homer to All-Star second baseman Ketel Marte, handing the Dodgers a 3-2 loss — their first walk-off defeat of the season. Scott has struggled in high-leverage spots recently; on June 1 against the Phillies, he also gave up three runs in the eighth inning while protecting a two-run lead, taking the loss. Nevertheless, Scott insisted he would bounce back quickly: "When I leave the ballpark, the only thing on my mind is the next game."

Manager Dave Roberts came to Scott's defense, stating that his overall stuff was fine: "He's been contributing to this team all season long; it's just that two of his last three appearances haven't gone the way we wanted."

Another storyline from the game was Shohei Ohtani's absence. It marked his second missed game of the season and the first time since mid-May — a span of 19 games — that he was neither in the starting lineup nor on the pinch-hit list. Ohtani had played as a two-way player the day before and was given the day off. During the top of the ninth, TV cameras showed him preparing in the dugout, sparking speculation that the Dodgers might use him as a pinch hitter in a key spot. After two outs, Will Smith doubled, but Roberts instead sent Santiago Espinal to the plate, who struck out, costing the Dodgers a golden opportunity.

Roberts said Ohtani was "available to play," but due to fatigue and game circumstances, they ultimately decided not to use him. In fact, the coaching staff had planned for Ohtani to pinch-hit at an appropriate moment if the game went into extra innings, but that situation never arose. Roberts revealed: "If we'd gotten to the 10th inning, the plan was to have him bat for Miguel Rojas." However, because the game ended on a walk-off homer in the ninth, that scenario never materialized. He also noted that the team was already stretched thin in terms of bench options, and Max Muncy had left the game after injuring himself on a baserunning play, further limiting their personnel flexibility.