The acclaimed two-way sensation, Shohei Ohtani, made his return to the pitching rubber on Wednesday, marking his first appearance since his July 30 outing was cut short due to muscle tightness.
The consensus is that the National League’s prospective MVP is in good form.
Ohtani delivered four innings, conceding a single run, against the St. Louis Cardinals. He also contributed offensively, launching a two-run homer in the third inning, propelling the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 2-1 advantage. Nevertheless, the Cardinals mounted a comeback, securing a 5-3 triumph.
Ohtani promptly dispelled any worries regarding the prior muscle tightness with a dominant opening inning. He efficiently navigated through the Cardinals’ lineup in just 10 pitches, clocking 100 mph on the radar gun with a third-pitch strike to Alec Burleson, concluding the inning.
Ohtani maintained his efficiency in the second inning, executing another 1-2-3 frame, highlighted by two strikeouts and requiring a mere 11 pitches.
The third inning presented a greater challenge for Ohtani, as the Cardinals managed to break the scoreless tie. Jordan Walker reached base on a leadoff infield pop-up that Miguel Rojas lost sight of in the sunlight. Walker then advanced to second with a stolen base and reached third on a groundout. Brendan Donovan capitalized with a well-placed, two-out bunt, resulting in an RBI single and granting the Cardinals a 1-0 lead.
However, the lead proved to be fleeting.
Alex Call commenced the bottom of the third with a double for the Dodgers. Two batters later, Ohtani propelled him home with a powerful shot deep into the center-field stands off Cardinals pitcher Matthew Liberatore.
This home run marked Ohtani’s 39th of the season, placing him one behind NL leader Kyle Schwarber and three behind MLB home run leader Cal Raleigh. It also signified the 1,000th hit of Ohtani’s MLB tenure.
Ohtani’s pitching duties were not yet concluded. He returned for the top of the fourth inning, where he proceeded to strike out the side. Ohtani induced swinging third strikes on breaking balls against Burleson, Lars Nootbaar, and Masyn Winn, preserving the Dodgers’ 2-1 lead.
The Dodgers extended their lead to 3-1 in the bottom of the fourth, and Ohtani did not return to the mound for the fifth inning. Reliever Justin Wrobleski entered the game.
Ohtani’s pitching performance concluded with four innings pitched, allowing two hits, zero walks, and one earned run attributed to a fielding miscue. He recorded eight strikeouts, lowering his ERA to 2.37.
Ohtani’s limited outing aligned with the ongoing strategy to gradually build him back up on the mound following his 2023 elbow procedure. The Dodgers’ bullpen, however, was unable to maintain the lead and secure the victory.
Cardinals rally against Dodgers bullpen
The Cardinals narrowed the Dodgers’ lead to 3-2 in the sixth inning with a run scored off reliever Justin Wrobleski. In the eighth inning, they seized an opportunity to reclaim the lead.
Burleson and Winn reached first and second with one out, courtesy of singles off Alex Vesia. Walker then delivered the game-tying RBI with a single to left-center field, driving in Burleson.
Disaster then befell the Dodgers. Following an unsuccessful attempt to get Winn out at third, third baseman Alex Freeland attempted to throw Walker out at second. However, the ball sailed into right field, enabling Winn to score the go-ahead run on the throwing error, giving the Cardinals a 4-3 lead.
The Cardinals added an insurance run in the ninth inning, and reliever Riley O’Brien pitched a scoreless bottom of the ninth to secure the 5-3 victory.
The Dodgers witnessed a stellar performance from Ohtani. Ultimately, however, the Cardinals emerged victorious.
