Half an hour before the game between the Dodgers and the Padres, the stands at the Los Angeles ballpark in Chavez Ravine were almost empty, but word soon spread and thousands of fans began to run in: Shohei Ohtani had come out of the dugout to warm up before his first start as a pitcher in 663 days
The long wait finally came to an end. Amid a thunderous ovation, the Japanese superstar returned to the mound in Major League Baseball to resume his role as the most spectacular two-way player in baseball history, something the Dodgers were eagerly awaiting after signing him in December 2023 for $700 million
His return as a pitcher after Tommy John surgery that kept him off the mound for 21 months left good feelings, especially in terms of power and velocity. Although he only worked one inning against the Padres, Ohtani made 28 pitches, 16 of which were strikes and 14 of which were over 98 mph
The right-hander even hit triple digits against Venezuelan Luis Arraez, who saw a 100.2 mph fastball. Either way, he couldn’t stop the Padres’ first run as Fernando Tatis Jr. and Arraez singled and Manny Machado hit a sacrifice fly
“It was great, he gave up a run, but his arsenal was very good. We expected his velocity to be in the 95-96 mph range, but he’s very competitive and went a little bit beyond that to 100 mph,” said Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, who acknowledged that it is a good day for the franchise in the midst of the plague of injuries that has affected its pitching staff
Ohtani was able to record his first strikeout in that inning, as in a two-strike, one-ball count Machado chased a sweeper in the far zone and clearly passed the bat, but first base umpire Ryan Blakney did not see it that way, even though the cameras clearly showed the Padres’ third baseman
After that decision, there was Manny Machado’s sacrifice fly to open the scoring, but the Japanese recovered and dominated with two groundouts to Gavin Sheets and Xander Bogaerts. “I’m not entirely happy with the individual result, but the most important thing for me is that I felt good enough. The idea was to be in the 95 or 96 mile range, but the intensity of the game helped me get to 100,” said Ohtani, who said he felt a little more nervous than when he is just hitting
Although he left the game losing, he himself leveled the actions later with a long double to left field that drove in Andy Pages. Later, he drove in another run in a five-run Dodgers rally to take a definitive 6-3 lead.
“It was a great team win, with good offensive response and the bullpen did a wonderful job protecting the difference we achieved,” said Ohtani
After this first contact from the mound, Shohei will gradually increase his workload until he reaches the usual volume for a starter. The Japanese player had only pitched in simulated games, without the option of making rehabilitation starts in the Minor Leagues, a roadmap normally followed by pitchers recovering from injury.
“The expectation now is to pitch once a week, probably more innings. We want to see how I feel after this outing and how my body responds,” the Japanese explained to the media at Dodger Stadium, where he also thanked all the staff and people who have supported him so that he could progress and pitch again
This is Ohtani’s return to his most emotional work, as he has stated on numerous occasions that he feels a special connection with pitching. Since he was a child, the Japanese player dreamed of being a great pitcher, a goal he has more than fulfilled and still has a long way to go.
Read the full article here
