Shohei Ohtani (Los Angeles Dodgers) finished his second start by striking out a batter.

Ohtani started on the 23rd (Korean time) against the Washington Nationals at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California, recording 2 strikeouts and no runs in 1 inning on 18 pitches before leaving the mound.

He is the second player in the Dodgers to take on both pitching and hitting duties. Ohtani, who underwent elbow surgery in September 2023 and entered rehabilitation, focused solely on hitting after signing a 10-year, $700 million contract with the Dodgers last year. After suffering a left shoulder injury during last year's World Series, the timeline for Ohtani's return as a pitcher was temporarily delayed.

However, on the 17th, it was suddenly decided that he would return as a pitcher in a game against the San Diego Padres, where he recorded 1 inning, 28 pitches, 2 hits, and 1 earned run before leaving the mound. His maximum velocity was recorded at 100.2 mph (161.3 km/h).

Following his first appearance, Ohtani was at the center of two incidents involving beanballs against San Diego. On the 18th, he was hit on the right thigh by a 93.8 mph fastball from Randy Vasquez, and on the 20th, he was hit in the back by a 100 mph fastball from Robert Suárez, leading to tense situations. However, Ohtani demonstrated mature behavior by preventing further bench-clearing incidents.

Despite the discomfort from the beanballs, Ohtani successfully completed bullpen sessions and took to the mound for the start that day.

Against the first batter, CJ Abrams, in the first inning, he threw a 97.2 mph fastball to induce a ground ball to first base. Against the second batter, James Wood, he alternated between a sweeper and a splitter, seemingly inducing a popup. However, the high pop-up was mishandled by shortstop Mookie Betts, allowing a runner to reach base on an error.

Facing Luis Garcia Jr. with one out and a runner on first, he threw a 5th pitch sweeper at 85.9 mph on a 2-ball, 2-strike count to get a swinging strikeout. This was Ohtani's first strikeout since his return as a pitcher. He recorded his first strikeout in 669 days since August 24, 2023, against the Cincinnati Reds while with the Los Angeles Angels. With two outs and a runner on first, he committed a wild pitch, leading to a runner on second. However, on a 2-ball, 2-strike count against Nathaniel Low, he threw an 88.3 mph cutter on the 7th pitch to get another swinging strikeout. He wrapped up the first inning without allowing a run by striking out two batters consecutively.

On that day, Ohtani threw a total of 18 pitches, including 7 sweepers, 6 fastballs, 3 cutters, and 2 splitters. The maximum velocity of his fastball was recorded at 98.8 mph (159 km/h).

From the second inning, Ben Caspariuss took the mound, and Ohtani concluded his second start.

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