- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 1,128,702
- Reaction score
- 59
You must be registered for see images attach
While Los Angeles Dodgers two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani proved he can still both pitch and hit in Wednesday’s win over the San Diego Padres, the reigning MVP wasn’t entirely happy with how he pitched.
The right-hander only pitched five innings, his lowest inning total this season, and said he “wasn’t great” following the outing.
“Just overall feel,” Ohtani said. “I have a pretty high standard as far as performance. It didn’t really match.”
Manager Dave Roberts acknowledged Ohtani wasn’t at the top of his game, but commended the pitcher on his strong performance regardless.
“I don’t think he had his best stuff tonight, but he found a way to get big outs when he needed to,” Roberts said.
“I think today, I don’t know … it just didn’t seem like he had as much reserve or stuff to work with today. I really can’t pinpoint it, but he just wasn’t letting it rip as early for as long and (as) consistently as we’ve seen in other outings. But he still has a way to use other pitches, sequence and still get guys out.”
You must be registered for see images attach
May 20, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Shohei Ohtani (17) wipes his face after pitching during the first inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images
How Did Shohei Ohtani’s Outing Unfold?
Ohtani got off to a rough start in the first inning, not because the Padres scored on him, though. No. 2 hitter Miguel Andujar dragged out his at-bat to 11 pitches before striking out, causing a 22-pitch first inning from Ohtani.
The right-hander retired the first nine batters he faced, but had thrown 52 pitches by the end of the third inning. Another 20-pitch frame in the fourth brought Ohtani’s total to 70 pitches, and he threw another 18 the following inning to end his day at 88 pitches.
You must be registered for see images attach
May 20, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Shohei Ohtani (17) delivers during the first inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images
The Padres didn’t make much noise on offense, but their best chance came in the fifth, when Ohtani managed to get out of a bases loaded jam by forcing Fernando Tatis Jr. to ground into a double play.
Ohtani has generally been pretty efficient throughout the season, even managing to throw seven innings with a similar number of pitches just two weeks ago. The superstar’s frustration is understandable, but if he can continue posting zeroes throughout the season, it won’t make much of a difference to the Dodgers.
How Has Ohtani Pitched This Season?
By this point, it’s no secret that Ohtani is among the best pitchers in Major League Baseball. He has thrown 49 innings across eight starts, allowing just four earned runs for an ERA of 0.73.
Ohtani, unfortunately, doesn’t have the innings to qualify for the league lead in ERA, but he would be clear of the rest of the pack if he had one more inning under his belt.
The Dodgers will hope he can keep up his Cy Young-caliber form for his next start, which will likely come at home against the Colorado Rockies next week.
What did you think of Shohei Ohtani’s start on Monday?
Continue reading...
