After his participation in the World Baseball Classic, Shohei Ohtani reported to the Los Angeles Dodgers to kick off his Cy Young Award pursuit-one of the honors he is now fully positioned to chase as a pitcher.
The first step came during MLB Spring Training 2026, where he made his debut under the intense Arizona heat and once again showcased why he is one of baseball’s biggest stars.
Shohei Ohtani: Cy Young campaign begins
Ohtani reached up to 99.9 mph fastball and struck out four batters over 4 1/3 scoreless innings, throwing 61 pitches (34 for strikes). He received a standing ovation upon exiting in the Dodgers’ 5-1 win over the San Francisco Giants.
In MLB 2026 season, this will be the first time the Dodgers utilize Ohtani as a true two-way player, and even in this outing he showed solid command-despite issuing two walks and hitting one batter.
“I was pretty happy with the pitch count today,” Ohtani said through interpreter Will Ireton. “For the next outing, I want to improve execution in two-strike counts. I didn’t finish hitters as well as I wanted.”
During his first Spring Training start, Ohtani focused exclusively on pitching and did not hit, as part of his gradual return to full two-way duties.
“He wants to readjust to pitching and focus on that,” explained manager Dave Roberts, who enters 2026 with a realistic chance of seeing Ohtani contend for the National League Cy Young Award, even with Paul Skenes emerging as a major rival.
Ohtani is expected to be part of the Dodgers starting rotation, which will likely feature a five-man rotation from Opening Day.
One of the biggest storylines of the MLB 2026 season will be this duel: what Shohei Ohtani as a pitcher can accomplish against a dominant Paul Skenes, currently one of the most intimidating arms in baseball. Still, in Skenes’ third season, the balance could shift thanks to the relentless work ethic of the Japanese superstar.
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