Even if Shohei Ohtani were exclusively a pitcher this year, his performance would still be lauded as among the most exceptional in Major League Baseball’s annals.
The standout athlete for the Los Angeles Dodgers further cemented his bid for a third consecutive National League MVP recognition (and his fifth MVP trophy in total) by delivering six shutout innings in a 7-0 victory against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesday. His earned run average currently stands at 0.74 across his initial 10 outings, a figure that would comfortably place him atop MLB if he had completed just one additional inning to meet the qualification criteria for the ERA championship.
During the game against the D-backs, Ohtani fanned six batters, conceding merely two base hits and a single walk. Offensively, he successfully got on base in five out of six trips to the plate, recording three hits in four at-bats along with two walks. This performance extended his dominance on the on-base percentage charts, where he leads the NL with a .420 mark.
His personal tally of three hits surpassed the combined total of the entire Diamondbacks squad, which managed only two hits throughout the contest. Furthermore, Ohtani’s two walks matched the total walks drawn by the entire Diamondbacks batting order.
This is a feat so extraordinary it bears reiteration to truly grasp its magnitude: The Dodgers possess the pitcher boasting the lowest ERA among all pitchers with multiple starts, and simultaneously, the batter holding the highest OBP in the National League. Remarkably, these two distinct roles are fulfilled by one individual.
According to Sarah Langs of MLB.com, only two pitchers in the history of Major League Baseball have achieved a superior ERA over their initial 10 seasonal starts: Jacob deGrom in 2021 (0.56) and Juan Marichal in 1966 (0.59). Even Fernando Valenzuela’s figure had climbed to 1.24 by the tenth game of his celebrated Fernandomania stretch (though he had pitched considerably more innings, of course).
Presented below is a condensed record of Ohtani’s initial 10 pitching appearances. Endeavor to identify his least impressive performance.
|
Date |
Innings |
Hits |
Earned runs |
Walks |
Strikeouts |
|
3/31 |
6 |
1 |
0 |
3 |
6 |
|
4/8 |
6 |
4 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
|
4/15 |
6 |
2 |
1 |
2 |
10 |
|
4/22 |
6 |
5 |
0 |
0 |
7 |
|
4/28 |
6 |
5 |
1 |
3 |
9 |
|
5/5 |
7 |
4 |
2 |
0 |
8 |
|
5/13 |
7 |
4 |
0 |
2 |
8 |
|
5/20 |
5 |
3 |
0 |
2 |
4 |
|
5/27 |
6 |
0 |
1 |
4 |
7 |
|
6/3 |
6 |
2 |
0 |
1 |
6 |
It would be entirely plausible to contend that Ohtani’s six innings without allowing a hit on May 27 constituted one of his top five weakest performances this season, purely based on the outcome. After all, his ERA did see an uptick.
An earlier criticism leveled against Ohtani this season centered on his difficulties as a batter during his inaugural full season operating as a pitcher for the Dodgers. The team itself acknowledged this concern by beginning to rest him from hitting duties on days he was scheduled to pitch.
Unsurprisingly, his batting average has since soared to .432 since May 12.
