Shohei Ohtani made his pitching debut for the Los Angeles Dodgers on Monday against the San Diego Padres, marking a return to the mound almost two years after undergoing a second right elbow surgery.
Ohtani was limited to just one inning as part of the Dodgers’ plan for him, and he was unsurprisingly a bit rusty. The right-hander threw 28 pitches and struggled with his command, but overall had a successful outing in his return.
The two-way superstar allowed one run on two hits in his inning of work. Ohtani’s stuff looked sharp and he even hit 100 mph with his fastball, which came as somewhat of a surprise.
“I was aiming to sit 95-96 (mph), but the game intensity really allowed me to throw a little harder,” Ohtani said through interpreter Will Ireton. “I was able to adjust back to be able to throw 95-96 against Bogaerts that last at-bat.”
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, who was excited for Ohtani’s return to the mound, also saw it as a positive step in the right direction and was happy with the outing.
“I thought it was great,” Roberts said. “Obviously gave up a run, but I thought the stuff was really good. Much better, as far as the fastball velocity, than I think anyone anticipated. Hit 100. I was thinking 95 to 97, but just the competitor and adrenaline came out.
“They built an inning, I thought he made some really competitive pitches, just overall a really positive day for us. Today, I don’t think it affected his offense. Like I said before the game, tomorrow will be telling to see how he feels as far as fatigue. But I thought overall, pretty exciting.”
However, Roberts also admitted there was a little concern with Ohtani reaching that speed with the fastball in his first outing.
“Understand it, but I was just kind of hoping for a more tempered 96, 97, than 100,” Roberts said. “But when you’re a competitor, you’re just trying to get guys out. If you have 100 in the tank, you’re going to use it. And that’s what he does.”
Dodgers teammates unsurprised by Shohei Ohtani
Both Will Smith and Max Muncy were not surprised that Ohtani was able to hit 100 mph in his first game back. “I know in his bullpens and lives he was throwing hard,” Smith said.
“You throw a little extra adrenaline, you’re probably going to go out there and throw a little harder. I know he touched 100 (mph), so good to see.”
Muncy added: “No, because we were seeing 95, 96 (mph) in his sim games. You start packing the stands a little bit, and you get extra adrenaline. So not too surprised.”
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