The Los Angeles Dodgers’ exceptional two-way player, Shohei Ohtani, is progressing with his pitching rehabilitation during actual game settings. His most recent appearance occurred on a Saturday evening at Dodger Stadium, facing off against the Houston Astros. During this session, he pitched two full innings, marking his highest pitch count of the current season to date.
Ohtani delivered a total of 31 pitches over his two innings on the mound, with 21 of those being strikes. He recorded three strikeouts and issued no walks. Despite allowing a single to the leadoff hitter, he then induced a double play, effectively facing only six batters across his two innings pitched.
His fastball demonstrated impressive velocity, consistently registering between 98 and 100 miles per hour. Additionally, his off-speed pitches proved to be highly effective, especially his sharply breaking sweeper.
It’s worth recalling that Ohtani is in the process of recovering from a significant elbow surgery, which he underwent in September of 2023. Typically, a pitcher in Ohtani’s situation would be participating in a minor league rehabilitation assignment at this point. However, considering the Dodgers’ reliance on Ohtani’s hitting prowess in their lineup, he is essentially conducting his pitching rehab during major league games while simultaneously performing at an MVP level as a hitter.
This outing marked Ohtani’s fourth appearance on the pitching mound. He has now accumulated six innings pitched, achieving a 1.50 ERA (Earned Run Average), a 0.83 WHIP (Walks plus Hits per Inning Pitched), and has recorded six strikeouts compared to just one walk.
The three-time MVP last had a regular pitching role in 2023, during which he achieved a record of 10 wins and 5 losses, along with a 3.14 ERA across 132 innings while playing for the Los Angeles Angels.
