Shohei Ohtani made his first start as a pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers, throwing one inning against the San Diego Padres.
Unsurprisingly, he lacked command at times and needed 28 pitches to get through the inning. But there were also encouraging signs with the brief outing.
Ohtani’s night began with allowing a leadoff single to Fernando Tatis Jr. on a full count. He then uncorked a wild pitch and gave up another base hit to Luis Arraez.
Manny Machado’s sacrifice fly gave the Padres a 1-0 lead while Anthony Banda began to warm up. Andy Pages nearly helped Ohtani out in his pitching debut but a strong throw to home plate was just late to get Tatis on his tag.
Everybody is standing to start the game. pic.twitter.com/bkSSS98xDN
— Dodger Blue (@DodgerBlue1958) June 17, 2025
Velocity was not a problem during the start, as Ohtani touched 100.2 mph on one of his offerings to Arraez.
A majority of fans stood during Tatis’ at-bat and a silence fell over the crowd in between every Ohtani pitch. Fans seated behind the Dodgers’ dugout treated Ohtani to a small standing ovation as he quickly rushed over to begin putting on his helmet and protective padding to bat.
The game was Ohtani’s first time on a Major League mound since Aug. 23, 2023. Manager Dave Roberts said heading into the outing that Ohtani would only pitch one or two innings.
Ohtani received a standing ovation from fans behind the Dodgers’ dugout and quickly went to work on putting on his hitting gear. pic.twitter.com/h9qDOrq3Hx
— Dodger Blue (@DodgerBlue1958) June 17, 2025
Ohtani’s progression toward a return to pitching gained significant steam over the past week. He threw 44 pitches across three innings in a simulated game at Petco Park last week, at which point Roberts indicated Ohtani could start before the All-Star break.
Deliberations over the weekend led to that becoming the case, with Ohtani largely driving the conversation.
“I think it was more of like, ‘Well, I don’t think there’s anything else to do. I’m ready to go. What else do I need to do to get on a Major League mound?'” Roberts explained before first pitch on Monday.
“So I think it’s more of you start trying to treat him like a normal pitcher, or a normal ramp up, normal buildup. If it’s going to be an inning or two, it’s like, ‘Well, I’ve already done that. So can I pitch now?’ You’ve got to hear the player and trust the player.”
Shohei Ohtani hitting after pitching
While Ohtani was lifted after his one inning of work, he remained in the lineup as the Dodgers’ designated hitter.
That is expected to be the plan moving forward, but Roberts indicated an adjustment will be made if necessary. Included in that is the possibility of dropping Ohtani down to batting second or third in games he starts as a pitcher.
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