Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani took the mound for the first time in the 2026 season Tuesday night, tossing six shutout innings against the Cleveland Guardians.
Ohtani, as fans know, is far more than just a pitcher. He’s a two-way unicorn, and he continued his regular role as designated hitter even while getting the start.
The rapid transition from defense to offense, though, created some time crunches, and cameras caught Ohtani changing his gear and quickly getting into gear for his next at-bat.
At one point, Ohtani appeared to briefly forget he was due to hit, heading to the bench before realizing he had to quickly put on his batting gear and prepare to hit.
How Did Shohei Ohtani Do in His First Start?
Ohtani didn’t give up his first — and only — hit until the fourth inning, a two-out double by first baseman Rhys Hoskins.
Hoskins, however, was left stranded at second after catcher Bo Naylor popped out in the next at-bat.
Outside of that hit, Ohtani struck out six batters and walked three, though he also hit a batter with a pitch.
Of his 87 pitches, 54 were strikes, and of the 23 batters he faced, he recorded strikes on the first pitch to 14 of them.
But most importantly, he left the mound as the Dodgers held a 1-0 lead that was augmented by Max Muncy’s solo home run in the bottom of the sixth inning, bringing the Boys in Blue’s advantage to 2-0.
What Does Shohei Ohtani Hope to Accomplish Pitching This Season?
Ohtani, with his multiple MVPs, back-to-back World Series titles and litany of other awards, doesn’t have much left to conquer in baseball outside of the top honor for pitchers, the Cy Young Award.
He’s finished fourth in Cy Young voting before, but this is his first season pitching full-time for the Dodgers. He didn’t pitch in 2024 and missed much of 2025 on the mound.
He will face stiff competition, though, from other National League hurlers, including teammate and fellow Japanese star Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
Do you think Ohtani or Yamamoto has a better chance at winning the Cy Young?
