Spectators attending Dodger Stadium for yet another Shohei Ohtani figurine giveaway were treated to what may have been his most compelling pitching demonstration of the current baseball season.
The Los Angeles Dodgers’ star pitcher secured his initial victory of the season — and of his tenure with the Dodgers — while achieving nine strikeouts against Cincinnati Reds hitters in a 5-1 triumph, thereby concluding a three-game series sweep. It marked the first instance in 11 starts this season that he completed the fifth inning, as the Dodgers proceed with his integration into the pitching rotation as cautiously as possible.
This marked Ohtani’s first win since Aug. 9, 2023. The sole run he conceded was a solo home run from Noelvi Marte in the third inning. On the offensive side, he recorded one hit in five at-bats with one run scored, concluding his evening with a drive to the warning track.
The victory extends the Dodgers’ lead in the NL West to two games following the San Diego Padres’ 4-3 defeat to the Seattle Mariners earlier Wednesday.
This performance represented a significant recovery after Ohtani’s two most challenging starts of the season. The Dodgers refrained from extending him beyond four innings until his Aug. 13 start, but he did not progress that far on a night when he surrendered five hits and four earned runs in a loss to his former Los Angeles Angels team.
Ohtani’s subsequent start proved even more difficult, with the Colorado Rockies amassing nine hits and five earned runs at Coors Field before he exited due to a thigh issue. This was a disheartening setback for a pitcher who, on a per-inning basis, had appeared as dominant as ever during his inaugural season as a pitcher with the Dodgers. He entered that Angels start with a 2.37 ERA and 25 strikeouts in 19 innings, only to take the mound Wednesday with a 4.61 ERA.
Ohtani and the Dodgers responded by making an adjustment.
Shohei Ohtani Incorporated a Different Element into His Curveball
Ohtani’s curveball typically serves as a supplementary component of his repertoire, which has predominantly relied on his four-seam fastball, splitter, and sweeper to disrupt hitters’ timing. He has never utilized the curve more than 8.4% of the time in a season, according to Baseball Savant, and had thrown it only 11 times in 439 pitches this season (2.5%). He did not employ the pitch at all until Aug. 6.
However, against the Reds, Ohtani threw his curveball 23 times in 87 pitches, accounting for 26% of his total offerings. This not only represents a season high but also a career high, extending back to his time with the Angels.
The pitch proved effective Wednesday, with batters putting only one ball into play, resulting in a harmless ground ball, while missing four times on seven swings and witnessing it called as a strike six additional times. Notably, he also threw the pitch an average of 3.7 mph faster than his 2025 mark entering Wednesday, suggesting that he and the Dodgers implemented a change to the actual pitch.
Whether Ohtani continues to utilize his curveball in this manner remains to be seen, but it exhibits all the desired characteristics of a pitch (within a very limited sample size). Given that the Dodgers have indicated they do not intend to have Ohtani pitch beyond five innings in a start until the postseason, he should have a full month of limited starts to refine his approach.
Regarding Ohtani’s bobblehead night, the stadium was once again filled to capacity. In under two seasons with the right-hander on the roster, the Dodgers have already distributed their fifth bobblehead featuring him, with a sixth scheduled for Sept. 10.
Fans continued to line up well in advance of game time to ensure they received the collector’s item, although there was minimal reason to do so. The Dodgers explicitly state on their website that “All fans in attendance with a valid ticket will receive a bobblehead” for Ohtani bobblehead nights.
Since the commencement of 2024, the Dodgers have given away a bobblehead of Ohtani at bat, Ohtani with his dog Decoy, Ohtani receiving his NL MVP award, Ohtani stealing a base (referencing his 50/50 season), Ohtani completing his swing (the second half of his 50/50 season), and, soon, Ohtani pitching.
This frequency underscores the paramount importance of the two-way star to the team, both on the field and in the financial records.
