The Los Angeles Dodgers suffered their first series loss of the season as inconsistent offense remained a problem, which has included a slow start by Shohei Ohtani.
On Tuesday night, Ohtani allowed just one hit over six scoreless innings and collected six strikeouts in his first pitching start of the year. But at the plate he’s yet to record an extra-base hit and has just a .590 on-base plus slugging percentage that’s boosted by seven walks.
“I’ve been able to get on base, so that’s a good thing,” Ohtani said through interpreter Will Ireton. “But on pitches that I should be making an impact, I’m not quite able to do that to the extent that I should be able to.
“So that’s the part that I’m not quite happy.”
While Ohtani has been able to reach base safely at a high rate, he is just 3-for-18 to begin the year. Part of that is due to opposing pitchers carefully approaching to the 31-year-old, but he has also missed some pitches that he usually hits a long way.
One in particular that stood out Wednesday night was a first-pitch cutter over the heart of the plate that Ohtani grounded into a double play on after the first two batters reached.
That came hours after Ohtani made the rare decision to take batting practice on the field. It’s a change in routine he’s previously done when looking to break out of a rut.
Clayton Kershaw predicts big year for Shohei Ohtani
It’s no secret that Ohtani wants to add a Cy Young Award to his impressive résumé, and his excellent 2026 pitching debut against the Guardians was a good first step toward making that a reality.
Ohtani is looking to become the first Japanese-born player to win a Cy Young Award, but his former Dodgers teammate Clayton Kershaw could see him achieve even more this season.
“It’s his drive,” the longtime Dodgers ace said of Ohtani’s success. “I think to be able to be the best hitter in the world and the best pitcher in the world, or at least in the conversation for both of those, it takes an incredible amount of drive. He never gets deterred from that.
“I’m excited to see a full year of him on the mound as well as at the plate. It would be pretty cool to see a Cy Young, MVP and World Series in one year. There’s a very real possibility he could do that.”
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