The Los Angeles Dodgers completed a sweep of the Cincinnati Reds in the National League Wild Card Series and now face the Philadelphia Phillies, beginning Saturday.
Shohei Ohtani is scheduled to make his Dodgers postseason pitching debut in Game 1 at Citizens Bank Park. Ohtani was officially named the Dodgers’ starter after the Dodgers eliminated the Reds.
The Phillies are handing the ball to Cristopher Sánchez in the NLDS opener.
Had the Dodgers not swept the Reds, it’s presumed Ohtani was going to start in a winner-take-all Game 3 at Dodger Stadium. Though, the team never fully committed to as much.
“If there’s a Game 3 he’ll probably start Game 3,” manager Dave Roberts said of Ohtani earlier this week.
There had been some indications Ohtani would potentially start Game 1 against the Reds as his schedule had been pitching on a Tuesday since Sept. 16. But the Dodgers ultimately decided to have him initially focus on responsibilities as the designated hitter.
“I think that the workload, it’s the proper rest for Snell, Yamamoto. And obviously we don’t know what’s going to happen with a Game 3,” Roberts explained. “But also there’s an off day after that. So just thinking through everything.”
It’s difficult to argue the Dodgers’ reasoning, as Blake Snell collected nine strikeouts over seven strong innings in Game 1. Ohtani also hit two home runs in what was shaping up to be a convincing win until the Dodgers bullpen struggled.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto then followed with a quality start despite a Teoscar Hernández misplay in right field.
Shohei Ohtani’s 2025 pitching season
In his return to the mound from a second career Tommy John surgery, Ohtani went 1-1 with a 2.87 ERA and 1.04 WHIP across 14 starts this year.
His final outing of the year saw Ohtani set a season-high of six innings pitched. It’s a mark the Dodgers feel comfortable with in the postseason if Ohtani is efficient enough.
When Ohtani faced the Phillies on Sept. 16, he fired five hitless innings.
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