NEW YORK – For so long, the Los Angeles Dodgers could only imagine what it would be like to watch Shohei Ohtani pitching off a big-league mound, facing major-league hitters, while wearing the Dodger blue. It’s been a long and unfamiliar journey for Los Angeles’ two-way star — and there’s more uncharted territory ahead — but finally, it’s beginning to feel real.
“I’ve gotten so used to seeing him as a hitter,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “So to see him on the mound just solely as a pitcher, it was different. And certainly exciting for all of us.”
On Sunday afternoon at Citi Field, Ohtani faced major-league hitters for the first time since his September 2023 elbow surgery. If Ohtani was nervous, it was impossible to tell. His patented easy-going attitude was on display throughout the outing. The first hitter he faced in nearly two years was Dodgers infielder Hyeseong Kim, followed by catcher Dalton Rushing, and game-planning coach J.T. Watkins.
Ohtani threw 22 pitches — including his fastball, sinker, cutter, sweeper and splitter — in a live batting-practice session that took place just four hours before Ohtani batted leadoff in the Dodgers’ series finale against the Mets. He threw mostly fastballs, while mixing in two sweepers and one splitter. His velocity hovered around 94-95 mph, but he let it fly, touching 97 mph, in his matchup against Watkins, of all people.
“He threw the nastiest pitches to [Watkins],” Dodgers pitching coach Mark Prior said. “It was already unfair, and then he compounded that and made it even more unfair. But I give J.T. a lot of credit for getting in the box and taking his shot.”
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When Kim hit a comebacker, Ohtani snagged the ball and pretended to throw it to first base. The crowd that formed behind home plate, including several teammates, got a good laugh from another one of Ohtani’s many antics. Moments later, when he struck out Watkins, Ohtani laughed and pointed at the strike zone. Sure, his teammates had a blast watching Ohtani face hitters. But no one seemed to be having more fun than Ohtani.
“He’s looking forward to pitching,” Prior said. “I think today was great, because he was able to keep the mood light and maintain some real stuff. That’s always important. He didn’t look like he was under stress. … It was loose and it was all free and easy. So that’s a positive.
“Especially from a major surgery, being able to check this box is important.”
In the other dugout, Mets manager Carlos Mendoza, outfielder Jesse Winker, and pitcher Griffin Canning all watched Ohtani unleash his arsenal against major-league hitters. A few hours later, they watched him take a similar, unforgiving approach, 60 feet and six inches away in the batter’s box. Ohtani obliterated the second pitch of the night from Kodai Senga, sending it to the second deck in right field for his 18th home run of the season.
Just over the bridge from Broadway, Sho-time at Citi Field was the biggest event in town.
“If it works out as it should, he’s a top-end starter,” Roberts said. “That’s all of our expectations.”
By all accounts, this was a successful first live batting-practice session for the Dodgers’ two-way unicorn. The tricky part is what happens next.
The Dodgers expect Ohtani to join their rotation sometime after the All-Star break. But there is no blueprint for the way they will navigate these next two months. Never before has a big-league starting pitcher rehabbing from his second major elbow-ligament reconstruction surgery appeared in the lineup as the designated hitter every day. Plus, Ohtani is enjoying another MVP-caliber season after undergoing surgery to repair a torn labrum on his left non-pitching shoulder last November.
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The loose plan is for Ohtani to throw a touch-and-feel on Wednesday, and then hopefully another live batting practice next weekend, possibly on Saturday. That’s contingent on how Ohtani feels in the coming days. The Dodgers will rely heavily on Ohtani to tell them how he’s feeling, and whether his body can handle the added physical exertion on a given day. It’s possible that Ohtani will need a day off if his pitching progression is too taxing over the next several weeks.
“We have to be able to react and be nimble with his workload on both sides of the baseball,” Prior said. “His time, his bandwidth is pulled in different directions. We try to respect both sides of it.”
Ohtani’s big jump from throwing bullpens to facing hitters was a long time coming for the Dodgers. His second elbow operation took place in September 2023, three months before he agreed to a 10-year, $700 million contract with the Dodgers, who had every intention of helping Ohtani make it back to the mound when they made him the face of their franchise. After winning the National League MVP award and helping the Dodgers win a World Series in his first season in Los Angeles last year, Ohtani’s next act is making it back to two-way dominance for the first time since 2022 with the Los Angeles Angels.
Though there is uncertainty surrounding Ohtani’s continued build-up, the Dodgers know better than to count him out on anything. If there’s anyone who can handle the extra workload, it’s Ohtani.
“Now that he’s started to ramp up — facing hitters and doing back-to-backs and upping the innings — that takes a lot more mindful bandwidth, and also physical exertion. That’s going to be interesting to see how he handles it.”
Deesha Thosarcovers Major League Baseball as a reporter and columnist for FOX Sports. Follow her on X at@DeeshaThosar.
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