Shohei Ohtani made an impressive return for the Dodgers, pitching a hitless inning against the Nationals and hitting his 26th home run of the season. Find out how his two-way performance impacts Los Angeles and what the Dodgers expect from their Japanese superstar.
LOS ANGELES — Shohei Ohtani pitched a no-hit inning on Sunday in his second opening on the mound for Los Angeles Dodgers, struck out two and allowed only one baserunner due to an error by Mookie Betts.
Ohtani threw 18 pitches against the Washington Nationals at Chavez Ravine, recording 12 strikes with one wild pitch. After leadoff hitter C.J. Abrams grounded out, Betts dropped a James Wood popup in the sun, but Ohtani struck out Luis Garcia Jr. and Nathaniel Lowe to end the inning.
Ohtani then struck out on seven pitches as the Dodgers' leadoff hitter against Washington's Michael Soroka in the bottom of the first inning. Ohtani came up big at the plate in the seventh inning, hitting a three-run triple down the right-field line to put the Dodgers up 7-3. He added his 26th home run of the season in the eighth.
Ben Casparius replaced Ohtani on the mound in the second inning for the Dodgers, who likely saw what they expected from their two-way superstar.
Ohtani's fastball topped out at 98,8 mph after hitting 100 in his first outing, and he finished both strikeouts with breaking pitches.
Ohtani allowed two hits and one run while throwing 28 pitches in the first inning Monday against the San Diego Padres in his first mound appearance since 2023.
Before Ohtani faced Washington, Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts said there's no firm timeline for the right-hander to extend his starts to their full length. The Dodgers also haven't made long-term decisions about how they'll handle the day-to-day details of the dual duties of baseball's only two-way player in decades.
Roberts acknowledged that Ohtani could be out of his usual leadoff spot in the Dodgers' lineup on days he pitches, particularly at home. Although Ohtani has told Roberts he doesn't mind pitching the first inning and then going straight to the on-deck circle to be the Dodgers' leadoff hitter, Roberts acknowledges it's not ideal.
“He’s said he’s completely fine batting leadoff and doesn’t want to change,” Roberts said. “So I think for now, we’ll stick with the status quo, but coming out of this, you could say maybe it makes more sense to bat second, third, or fourth.”
Ohtani struck out in his first two at-bats Sunday, but drew a walk in the sixth and scored on Max Muncy's grand slam. Ohtani then cleared the bases himself in the seventh with his 101.3 mph groundout to the right-field corner. In the eighth, he homered with one on off Jackson Rutledge.
The Dodgers will be patient with Ohtani as he adjusts to two-way life and handles the demands of both jobs.
“I haven't seen any signs of fatigue,” Roberts said. “I think, like all hitters, when you start chasing outside the strike zone, it's hard to have consistent success. I don't think that's a fatigue issue, but we'll manage it, and I think I can just take him at his word, and the swing speed and the things you're tracking are still in line. Again, once we ramp up activity, it could be a different conversation.”
Ohtani didn't pitch at all last season while recovering from arm surgery during his first season with the Dodgers under a ten-year, $700 million contract. He won his third MVP award while becoming the first player in baseball history with 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a season, and the Dodgers won their first World Series championship.
Ohtani entered Sunday ranked third in the majors with a .996 OPS, but some of his other offensive numbers have dipped slightly this season as he returned to a consistent throwing program.
The Dodgers have no public concerns about Ohtani's production, remaining committed to his two-way game, and they need his arm, given their injury concerns on the mound throughout the season.
