The Cy Young race couldn’t be going any better for Shohei Ohtani – even after his worst start of the season on the mound against the Toronto Blue Jays. Despite struggling with command, the Japanese superstar still delivered six innings and allowed just one unearned run.
Even with that rocky outing, Ohtani maintains a perfect 0.00 ERA through 12 innings pitched this season while continuing to serve as the designated hitter for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Ohtani is no stranger to breaking records. Last Friday, he became the Japanese player with the longest on-base streak in MLB history, reaching 44 consecutive games and surpassing Ichiro Suzuki’s mark of 43 set in 2009.
The Fernando Valenzuela record Shohei Ohtani is chasing
Ohtani is also the first Dodgers starter to begin a season with back-to-back outings of at least six innings without allowing an earned run since Kenta Maeda in 2016.
Only one pitcher in MLB history has opened a season with three or more such performances since 1912: Fernando Valenzuela, who did it four times. Ohtani needs just two more to tie that mark.
When does Ohtani pitch next?
Shohei Ohtani is scheduled to return to the mound in the Dodgers’ upcoming home series against the New York Mets.
With multiple MVP awards, World Series rings, and a mountain of records already on his résumé, the Cy Young Award remains one of the few major accolades still missing from Ohtani’s historic career – and right now, he’s building a strong case to finally win it.
Read the full article here
