Los Angeles Dodgers two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani made his long-awaited season debut on the mound, throwing 4.1 scoreless innings as the Boys in Blue downed the San Francisco Giants 5-1 in eight innings.
Ohtani struck out four batters, walked two and allowed just one hit.
He did so efficiently, with his first inning taking just five pitches.
Speaking with SportsNet LA’s Kirsten Watson, manager Dave Roberts said he was pleased with Ohtani’s performance.
“I thought it was good. Obviously, he knows we’re getting close to starting [the season], so there was certainly a lot of focus and it wasn’t as crisp as I’m sure he would’ve wanted, but it speaks to how talented he is. To touch the fifth inning, it was a win he felt good coming out of,” Roberts said.
When Does Shohei Ohtani Pitch Next?
Ohtani will pitch again in spring training next week against the Los Angeles Angels in the Freeway Series, though it’s not clear yet in which game he’ll throw.
No matter which day it is, Roberts said Ohtani has nothing left to prove. Instead, he and the Dodgers will be looking for one more solid outing in the ramp-up to the regular season, though that start is expected to last a bit longer than his outing on Wednesday.
“I think for us, he knows what it takes to get ready,” Roberts said. “His arsenal is his arsenal, he feels good with it. This last outing, whether we can get through the fifth inning or touch the sixth, we’re not sure yet, but I’m sure he’s going to be ready to go.”
What Makes Shohei Ohtani Good on the Mound?
Ohtani largely relies on his four-seam fastball against lefties, and he’s about evenly split between the four-seam and the sweeper against right-handed hitters.
That fastball velocity, which Baseball Savant puts at 98.1 mph on average, is in the top 5% of MLB pitchers.
Wednesday was a bit slower for Ohtani, with his fastball hovering around 97 mph on average, but he did hit 99.9 mph on one throw.
If Wednesday was any indication, Ohtani is in the right place to start his 2026 campaign for the last major award that’s eluded him in his already legendary career: the Cy Young.
