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Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani was up to his old tricks on Wednesday, May 27th, as he took his bat and pitching glove for two-way action.
Ohtani, who has proven to be one of the best hitters in the sport, hit a leadoff home run against the Rockies during his pitching start, backing himself up with run support and helping secure a pitching win.
As a pitcher, he got three outs against four batters after allowing a walk, and he looked very much in sync as both a hitter and pitcher, but things would get a lot more bumpy for Ohtani.
The Japanese ace finished with seven strikeouts, four walks, no hits, and one earned run, which came on his command woes.
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May 27, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers two-way player Shohei Ohtani (17) reacts after a play during the fourth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
Despite looking great on face value, Ohtani was visibly disappointed with his performance and was looking uncomfortable on the mound and at the batter’s box.
He went 99 pitches in total, with only 56 strikes. Only 45% of his pitches were in the zone, showing his lack of command.
Usually, he is getting a bit more chase than he did today. He only had a 26% chase rate on his pitches. Once again, Ohtani relied heavily on the fastball and sweeper, dropping the odd curveball and splitter when needed.
What can Ohtani improve?
In fairness to Ohtani, he allowed only four hard-hit balls and did not give up a hit; the defense behind him was great all day, and with his walk issue and a few of those hits dropping, he would potentially walk away with an ERA above 1.00.
Next time he pitches, Ohtani could throw his curveball and splitter more often, giving hitters a different look and potentially getting a few more grips to get ahold of.
On the whole, with the pitch count getting so high, he will certainly need to get either softer contact or more whiffs.
As a player who will not pitch too much, Ohtani needs to win a Cy Young if he wants to win one; he needs to stay efficient and productive. His last two outings have missed the length, and he will need to be better, either with his two most thrown pitches or mixing in the other ones.
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