The initial batter for the Dodgers in the NLDS will be Shohei Ohtani.
Dave Roberts, the manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers, verified on Wednesday that Ohtani will be the starting pitcher for Game 1 of the NLDS on Saturday, facing the Philadelphia Phillies. This confirmation occurred shortly after the Dodgers defeated the Cincinnati Reds 8-4 in Game 2 of their wild-card series, securing the Dodgers’ place in the divisional round of the playoffs for the 13th consecutive year.
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When Ohtani steps onto the pitcher’s mound at Citizens Bank Park on Saturday, he will make MLB history by becoming the first player to start at least one game as a pitcher and another as a non-pitcher in the same postseason, as noted by MLB.com’s Sarah Langs.
This game will also represent Ohtani’s debut as a pitcher in the MLB postseason. He did not pitch during the previous season with the Dodgers as he was recovering from elbow surgery. Also, Ohtani did not participate in the postseason during his six seasons with the Los Angeles Angels.
The Dodgers did not require Ohtani’s pitching in their initial two games of this postseason. Yoshinobu Yamamoto achieved nine strikeouts and allowed zero earned runs across 6 2/3 innings in his start on Wednesday. Blake Snell delivered seven strong innings in the team’s 10-5 victory over the Reds in Game 1 on Tuesday.
Ohtani has been gradually increasing his pitching activity this season following a second surgery in September 2023. He debuted against the San Diego Padres on June 16, pitching one inning. Since then, he has progressively increased his time on the mound, pitching six full innings in the team’s 5-4 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks on Sept. 23. He has not pitched since that game.
Ohtani achieved a 2.87 ERA with 62 strikeouts across 47 innings this season. As a hitter, he performed nearly as well as he did last season, when he was awarded NL MVP honors. Ohtani hit a career-high 55 home runs and recorded 102 RBI this season, with a slash line of .282/.392/.622. He is currently the leading candidate for a second consecutive MVP award.
The Phillies finished the season with a 96-66 record, winning the NL East and securing the league’s No. 2 seed. They were second only to the Milwaukee Brewers in the NL, which earned them a bye from the wild-card round.
The Dodgers are the first wild-card team to secure a spot in this season’s division series. There will be three Game 3s across the league on Thursday to conclude the opening round, after which the division series will commence on Saturday.
