Shohei Ohtani was in the midst of his second MVP season when he took the mound against the Cincinnati Reds on Aug. 23, 2023.
Twenty five pitches deep into his start, he tossed a fastball that dipped three miles per hour below average, prompting a visit from manager Phil Nevin and his then-interpreter Ippei Mizuhara.
It was the final pitch he threw in an Angels uniform.
Then free agency came. Arguably the most sought after free agent in history was up for grabs and the sweepstakes began. Even with a UCL injury costing him at least a year on the mound, teams went into a frenzy.
In the end, the Dodgers got the last laugh.
The Dodgers knew that Ohtani would only resort to hitting for the 2024 season, and it resulted in him recording the first 50-50 season in baseball history, ending with a World Series championship in his first ever postseason run. That was only half of the bargain that the Dodgers signed up for, and on June 16 against the San Diego Padres, Ohtani made his return to the mound, pitching for the first time in a Dodgers uniform, a mere 18 months after he signed with the team.
The Dodgers carefully handled Ohtani’s recovery program as he began throwing bullpen sessions with the team in spring training this season. Instead of having Ohtani work through a minor league rehab assignment, the Dodgers opted to have him rehab in the big leagues, gradually increasing his workload with every start.
Ohtani’s return wasn’t as smooth as Dodgers fans had hoped, as in his first inning back on the mound, he allowed a run on three straight hits before recording an out. His next start saw him pitch a scoreless inning of work, recording his first two strikeouts as a Dodger. His innings cap increased to two over his next two starts and three over his next three starts. In that span, he recorded 15 strikeouts to five walks with his ERA at 2.08 over 13 innings.
As quickly as things began to go well, Ohtani dealt with issues in three of his next four starts. It began with cramps in his lower half while pitching in the fourth inning against the Cincinnati Reds on July 27, prompting an early exit. After recording a then season-high eight strikeouts against the St. Louis Cardinals, he followed up with a meltdown against his former team, letting a 3-2 lead slip away from him in the fifth inning. Against the lowly Colorado Rockies, he allowed five runs while also getting drilled in his right thigh, forcing his exit after four innings and ballooning his ERA to 4.61.
Everything came full circle in his 11th start of the season. Against the same team where Ohtani threw his final pitch as an Angel two years prior, he collected his first win as a Dodger, striking out nine over five full innings against Cincinnati. He lowered his ERA to 4.18 on the season, and he currently holds a 32.6 percent strikeout rate compared to just a 5.3 percent walk rate.
Ohtani has proven to the Dodgers so far that at his best, he is a force in the rotation with a fastball exceeding triple digits along with an elite complimentary arsenal. As of now, the results have been a mixed bag, and while Ohtani has dominated in brief starts, his ERA shoots up to 5.53 in starts where he pitches into the third inning and beyond. After his most recent start, he showed that he can go through two cycles of the opposing batting order successfully while limiting the amount of work for the bullpen.
Given a relatively soft schedule the rest of the way— only two teams over .500 left to play— Ohtani has the ability to make his case as a frontline member of the rotation entering the most crucial stretch of the year.
The Dodgers made a somewhat miraculous run towards hoisting the Commissioner’s Trophy last year, doing so with a heavily depleted starting rotation and exhausted bullpen. Only one pitcher from the opening day roster, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, was a part of the Dodgers’ three-man postseason rotation.
The Dodgers are currently on pace to avoid that same problem.
Tyler Glasnow and Clayton Kershaw, who both missed out on last year’s title run, are in the running for the playoff rotation, along with Blake Snell and Yamamoto. Ohtani certainly factors into the equation now, but all his rotation mates have been able to pitch into the sixth inning or later at some point this year. Add on to the fact that each of the four aforementioned arms have all previously pitched in the World Series. Ohtani has yet to even pitch in the postseason.
The most meaningful games he last pitched in were for Team Japan in the World Baseball Classic, where he famously struck out then Angels teammate Mike Trout to take home their third WBC championship. Prior to his save, he started a pair of games, and overall posted a 1.86 ERA with 11 strikeouts in 9 2/3 innings. Ohtani has already demonstrated decent results at the plate in the postseason, and expectations are that he can replicate or improve upon those same results on the mound in the playoffs this year.
Dodgers fans have been fortunate to witness a player like Shohei Ohtani bring their team a championship in his first year with the team. They were fortunate enough to see him become the first player in history with a 50-50 season. This season and for years to come, they have the privilege of watching him dazzle on both sides of the field.
Two years ago, Ohtani was toiling away with the Angels when his pitching career was placed on hold. Now, on the other side of Los Angeles, he’s a part of a team that looks to be the first repeat championships since the ‘98-’00 New York Yankees. With his two-way status back in play, he will look to be the first ever starting pitcher to also be the leadoff man in the everyday lineup in the postseason.
Not even Babe Ruth can rival Ohtani in that aspect.
