Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers (31) showed a strong presence on the mound as he celebrated his 31st birthday.
Ohtani started as a pitcher in the home game against the Houston Astros in the 2025 Major League, held at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California, on the 6th (Korean time), pitching 2 innings with 1 hit, no walks, 3 strikeouts, and no earned runs.
After undergoing elbow surgery in September 2023, Ohtani returned to play against the San Diego Padres on the 17th of last month, after 1 year and 10 months of rehabilitation, starting with 1 inning, 28 pitches, and 1 earned run. He then built up gradually with performances of 1 inning, 18 pitches, no earned runs against the Washington Nationals on the 23rd, and 2 innings, 27 pitches, no earned runs against the Kansas City Royals on the 29th.
On this day, Ohtani, pitching for the fourth time, threw a total of 31 pitches over the planned 2 innings, marking the highest pitch count of the day. His season earned run average was lowered from 2.25 to 1.50.
In the first inning, after starting with a left-handed hit from Houston's lead-off hitter Isaac Paredes, Ohtani induced a ground ball from the next batter, Cam Smith. A 4-6-3 double play resulted. He produced a hit ball on a high 96.4 mph (155.1 km/h) four-seam fastball on the third pitch. He then handled José Altuve with a ground ball to the shortstop, wrapping up the first inning with three batters.
In the second inning, he displayed his dominance with a 'KKK' inning. Ohtani struck out Cristian Walker with a slider after a 7-pitch duel, and then struck out Víctor Caratini as well. He induced a swing-and-miss with a low sweeper on the seventh pitch. Continuing the momentum, Ohtani struck out Yainer Díaz with a sweeper, marking his first 'KKK' inning since returning to the mound.
Ohtani handed the mound over to Justin Loblasky in the third inning, finishing his outing with a total of 31 pitches. He primarily used 14 four-seam fastballs with a top speed of 100.9 mph (162.4 km/h) and an average of 97.9 mph (157.6 km/h), along with 7 sliders, 6 sweepers, 3 sinkers, and 1 cutter. The fast pitches and excellent sweepers were utilized effectively to strike out batters.
In an interview during the third inning with 'Fox Sports,' Dave Roberts, the Dodgers manager, noted about Ohtani's pitching, "Command stood out the most. Overall, he had good control, throwing accurately when he needed to in the strike zone. The sweeper was also effective, and he struck out well," adding, "He could have pitched more, but today he was scheduled to throw only 2 innings. He will soon be able to move to the next stage."
Roberts then stated, "We have been very systematic in managing his pitch count and stress while gradually ramping up. Many ask when Ohtani will be a normal starter throwing more than 5 innings, but I don’t know that point yet. However, contributing as a two-way player while maintaining the rhythm like he is now is a significant value to the team. I am satisfied with Ohtani at this point."
[OSEN]