Although the Los Angeles Dodgers did not beat the Kansas City Royals on Saturday, their designated hitter, who leads the National League in home runs, threw a 101.7 mph fastball in his third visit to the mound and first as a visitor.
Shohei Ohtani continued to baffle both Royals hitters and baseball fans alike, pitching a pair of scoreless innings. The three-time Most Valuable Player spoke after the game about what it was like to pitch in his best start of the season to date.
Finally, the Japanese pitcher spoke to the press through his interpreter, who after six years of living in the country, still has no interest in speaking English. “Overall, I felt satisfied that I was able to attack the zone. I still have to improve some details. But overall, I’m very happy,” said the Dodgers player, who has recorded the fastest pitch of his MLB career, along with two productive innings and a strikeout to reduce his ERA to 2.25 in four innings.
Shohei Ohtani does not have a guaranteed starting role
As for a long-term view of his path to full recovery, Ohtani spoke not only of feeling good currently with his recovery, but compared things to coming back after his first Tommy John surgery. “It’s good to be able to reach that speed and see how my body reacts. I felt really good to be able to come back and pitch well, especially considering that compared to the first surgery, the second one was much better in terms of recovery,” Ohtani said.
For the Japanese pitcher, he knows that the season is still young and there are four months to go before the World Series games, a goal that the California team has set for itself. “Speaking with the doctor, he was very confident that I could come back in full form,” Ohtani said. Ohtani has yet to throw more than 28 pitches or more than two innings in his three brief starts in 2025, but the two-way superstar has much more to accomplish on the mound.
Los Angeles Dodgers looking to be careful with Ohtani’s full return
The reason his progression back as a pitcher has been so slow is that the team cannot afford to lose his bat while he goes to Triple-A for a rehab assignment. Ohtani is currently hitting .291/.392/.641 with a 1.033 OPS. His absurd slugging percentage and OPS marks also lead the National League, in addition to his home runs.
Although his excellence on the mound and in the batter’s box is unparalleled and unheard of in this century, the best is yet to come for the future Hall of Famer. The Los Angeles Dodgers still have the best record in the National League with a 53-32 record and hold a seven-game lead over the San Diego Padres, their main pursuer in the race for the National League West Division pennant.
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