Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani Reveals What He Misses Most About Pitching
Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani will likely not pitch in the 2024 season. Ohtani is currently rehabbing from a severe right elbow injury and subsequent surgery in Sept. 2023.
The 29-year-old superstar is only displaying one of his two talents in his first season with the Dodgers, and although he is putting up MVP-type numbers as a hitter, Ohtani misses being on that hill. The right-handed ace won’t be back on the mound until 2025, and it’s killing him not to display his pitching prowess.
In a recent interview with reporters including the Orange County Reister’s Bill Plunkett, Ohtani acknowledged that he misses being on the bump and getting that nervous feeling before he starts.
“I think any starting pitcher can tell you that there’s a little bit of nervousness going into a game you start. In a sense, I do miss that kind of atmosphere. But right now I’m really just focusing on progressing every day and really focusing on that.”
— Shohei Ohtani
Ohtani is throwing on the field every other day. He’s increased his number of throws since playing catch for the first time in late March. If all goes well in his rehab, Ohtani could progress to throwing to hitters in a simulated-game setting as soon as September.
No matter how good he looks, the Dodgers’ stated plan is for the Japanese sensation to not pitch in games until 2025. When Ohtani is healthy and on the mound, he’s a Cy Young candidate, recording a career 3.01 ERA, a 38-19 record, 608 strikeouts, and a 1.08 WHIP in 481.2 innings and 86 starts. In 2023, his last on a mound, Ohtani recorded a 3.14 ERA, 167 punchouts. He allowed a .184 batting average in 23 starts and 132 innings.
As Dodgers superstar Mookie Betts said, it’s going to be like a national holiday once Ohtani is back on the mound in Dodger blue.
Photo Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
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