After nearly two years on the mend, Shohei Ohtani returned to the mound on Monday night.
The Dodgers ace took the bump for the first time since landing on the IL with a torn UCL in the final few months of the 2023 season.
He got quite the test in his opening outing. Ohtani was tasked with fooling the heart of the Padres’ batting order: Fernando Tatis Jr., Luis Arraez and Manny Machado, among others.
Ohtani started his showcase with a flourish, ripping a pair of 98 mph fastballs into catcher Will Smith’s grasp. He didn’t quite have his patented precision. But the velocity was there, if only for fleeting moments.
Still, Ohtani toiled. Tatis fought off a 3-2 fastball to take first on a bloop single. Arraez followed it up with a single of his own. And despite befuddling Machado with a nasty two-strike breaking ball, he failed to collect a strikeout on the night — the San Diego star was deemed to have checked in his swing in time.
Machado brought Tatis home with a sacrifice fly, while Ohtani brought the frame to a close with a pair of groundouts.
His final line was unimpressive — two hits, zero strikeouts and one earned run surrendered across one inning of work. But after touching upwards of 100 mph on his fastball, there were signs that Ohtani still has plenty of life in his arm, even if the rust has veiled it a bit.
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The Sporting News kept tabs on Ohtani’s pitching and hitting performance against San Diego on Monday night. Below are highlights and analysis from Ohtani’s first start since 2023.
Shohei Ohtani stats today
Pitching
- Innings: 1.0
- Earned runs: 1
- Strikeouts: 0
- Hits allowed: 2
- Walks: 0
- Pitches: 28
Batting
- At-bats: 3
- Hits: 2
- Home runs: 0
- RBIs: 2
- Stolen bases: 0
- Walks: 0
- Runs: 0
Shohei Ohtani highlights from Dodgers pitching debut vs. Padres
Ohtani made history before he even appeared in the matchup. Alvin Dark and Jim Jones have company as players to start a game as a pitcher while batting leadoff in the same game.
Shohei Ohtani will be the first National League player to start a game as a pitcher and also bat in the leadoff spot since 1953 (Alvin Dark, Giants) and third overall since 1900 (Jim Jones, Giants). pic.twitter.com/zj5eXsZdB3
— MLB (@MLB) June 16, 2025
He strode to the mound confidently, delivering a series of arrows to Will Smith before setting sights at his first target, fellow supernova Fernando Tatis Jr.
Ohtani’s stuff was fiery; he dialed up 98 mph on a pair of early fastballs and even touched 100 while throwing to Luis Arraez.
NASTY fastball from Shohei Ohtani to get one on Fernando Tatis Jr. 🔥
Via @SportsNetLA pic.twitter.com/HhpvB9MmFs
— Dodgers Nation (@DodgersNation) June 17, 2025
But his precision was lacking. He got caught in a trio of 3-2 counts, the first of two resulted in hits.
Ohtani looked to have recorded his first strikeout on Manny Machado, coaxing the Padres star into going around on a checked swing with two strikes.
But the umpiring crew was unconvinced. Machado was deemed to have held up. And a few bolts later, he drove in Tatis with a sacrifice fly.
Hahahaha, Tatis #Jr. is just too fast — #Ohtani’s reaction
is pretty funny 😆 in the end !! #Swag (Korean broadcast) pic.twitter.com/dzHMHoypSz— Joseph Kim (@blackwings2011) June 17, 2025
Ohtani conjured up a pair of groundouts to end the frame. It took him 28 pitches to get through the first. At the start of the second, fireballer Anthony Banda was called in to take his place.
Like any pitcher, Ohtani needed run support. He found it in the form of…himself. The Japanese slugger belted a double to level things up at one in the bottom of the third then added another RBI in the bottom of the fourth via a single to right field.
How to watch Dodgers vs. Padres
- Start time: 10:10 p.m. ET (7:10 p.m. local time)
- TV channel: MLB Network
- Live stream: Fubo
The match between Dodgers and Padres will air on MLB Network nationally. First pitch will take place at 10:10 p.m. ET from Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. An alternate broadcast can be found on Fubo, the former of which runs a free trial.
Last time Shohei Ohtani pitched
Ohtani’s last pitching appearance came on Aug. 2, 2023, as a member of the Angels. The then-29-year-old threw 1.2 innings against the Reds before exiting with elbow discomfort. He was soon diagnosed with a torn UCL and ruled out for the remainder of the 2023 season, as well as all of 2024.
Does Ohtani hit when he pitches?
For those who haven’t witnessed Ohtani’s two-way excellence firsthand, he does, in fact, hit in the same games he pitches in. The Japanese supernova has enjoyed some of his best performances while doing both, like on June 15, 2023, when Ohtani clubbed a go-ahead homer and pitched six innings of two-run ball to earn the win.
Because Ohtani is designated as a “two-way player,” a special MLB rule allows him to stay in the game as a designated hitter after he’s done pitching.
Shohei Ohtani pitching stat
Ohtani has accomplished plenty as a slugger and base-stealer, but he is arguably at his best when he’s throwing. The 31-year-old placed fourth in AL Cy Young voting in 2022 and has four sub-3.31 ERA campaigns under his belt.
Here’s a look at Ohtani’s pitching numbers since joining MLB in 2018:
| Season | Games | Record | ERA | Innings pitched | WHIP | Strikeouts | Walks | Hits | Earned runs |
| 2018 | 10 | 4-2 | 3.31 | 51.2 | 1.16 | 63 | 22 | 38 | 19 |
| 2020 | 2 | 0-1 | 37.80 | 1.2 | 6.60 | 3 | 8 | 3 | 7 |
| 2021 | 23 | 9-2 | 3.18 | 130.1 | 1.09 | 156 | 44 | 98 | 46 |
| 2022 | 28 | 15-9 | 2.33 | 166.0 | 1.01 | 219 | 44 | 124 | 43 |
| 2023 | 23 | 10-5 | 3.14 | 132.0 | 1.06 | 167 | 55 | 85 | 46 |
| Totals | 86 | 38-19 | 3.01 | 481.2 | 1.08 | 608 | 173 | 348 | 161 |
