Baseball

Shohei Ohtani Returns as an MLB Pitcher After 633 Days

The Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani pitched the first inning against the Padres in the series opener and continued his hot hitting with a pair of RBIs in LA's 6-3 win.

by
Ed Odeven
June 17, 2025

Making his long-awaited return to the mound, Shohei Ohtani pitched in his first MLB game in 633 days on Monday night, June 16.

The Los Angeles Dodgers superstar threw 28 pitches (16 strikes) against the San Diego Padres, allowing two hits and a run in the first inning.

Left-handed reliever Anthony Banda replaced Ohtani to start the second inning at Dodger Stadium. And Ben Casparius (5-1) took over with two outs in the inning and worked 3⅔ innings, allowing two runs to earn the win. Kirby Yates pitched a scoreless ninth for his second save.

The Dodgers, who used seven pitchers in the series opener, scored five runs in the fourth inning en route to a 6-3 victory over their National League West rival. Ohtani drove in two runs as LA won its third straight game.

"I'm very grateful that I'm back out here healthy and pitching again," Ohtani told reporters in a postgame interview.

Noting timely hits from several players, including his own, and a combined effort from numerous pitchers, Ohtani called it "a really nice win."

Pitching in the 1st Inning

Ohtani's first pitch to Padres leadoff hitter Fernando Tatis Jr, a sinker, was clocked at 97.6 mph (157 kph). Tatis, a two-time All-Star, hit a foul ball. On a 3-2 pitch, Tatis smacked a bloop single to right field. Luis Arraez followed with a single to center, and Tatis advanced to third base.

Manny Machado then hit a sacrifice fly to center. Andy Pages, LA's center fielder, made a strong throw to the plate, but Tatis slid under catcher Will Smith's tag attempt.

Gavin Sheets and Xander Bogaerts hit back-to-back groundouts to second and third, respectively, to wrap up the top of the first inning.

Facing five batters, Ohtani used a wide assortment of pitches ― four-seam fastball, split-finger fastball, sweeper, sinker ― and showed no hesitation in challenging hitters. He reached 100.2 mph on the radar gun with his fastball.

Ohtani said he was aiming to throw 95-96 mph, but the speed of his pitches exceeded his expectations.

"The game intensity really allowed me to throw a little harder," Ohtani told reporters later.

In analyzing his one inning of work as a pitcher, Ohtani offered this succinct summary: "I'm not quite happy with the results. But there is a lot that I was able to take away from today's outing."

He also admitted he felt more nervous than usual in his first pitching appearance for the Dodgers.

But it was an important step in his comeback.

"I want to first see how my body feels and how it reacts," Ohtani said, planning ahead for his next mound appearance. He added that he wants to pitch about once per week while increasing the number of innings.

The Return of Shohei Ohtani as a Pitcher

Most MLB pitchers have rehab assignments in the minor leagues after sustaining significant injuries before returning to the big leagues as pitchers. Ohtani worked his way back as a pitcher while juggling duties as the team's full-time leadoff hitter and making time for rehab, including a trio of simulated games in recent weeks.

The pride of Iwate Prefecture underwent surgery on his right elbow in September 2023 after a season-ending injury while pitching for the Los Angeles Angels. He joined the Dodgers in 2024.

"It got to the point where, hey, it feels like we should take that next step and almost look to finish the rehab at the major league level because of the taxing nature of what he was doing," Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes was quoted as saying by The Associated Press.

LA relied on Ohtani to provide verbal updates on his physical condition and his progress throughout the rehabilitation process.

Although Ohtani had been projected to begin pitching in July, after the All-Star break, the timing felt right to move it up, the Dodgers decided, based on Ohtani's assessment.

"He's ready to pitch in a major league game," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said, according to the New York Daily News on Sunday, adding, "he let us know that."

Observations on Ohtani's Return

From the broadcast booth, how did Shohei Ohtani look on the mound?

"The [adrenaline] rush was there, but more importantly, the velocity was there," Spectrum SportsNet LA baseball analyst Jerry Hairston said on the network's postgame show.

Added Hairston, "The most important thing was he was back on the mound," noting Ohtani now has game video from 2025 to help him recognize where he's at performance-wise.

"He'll make his adjustments and be ready to go for his next game," Hairston said.

A Spark on Offense

Ohtani entered the game as the NL leader in home runs (25). And he had reached base in eight of his nine previous at-bats.

The first player in MLB history to have a 50-50 season (homers and stolen bases) continued his hot hitting in the series opener against the Padres.

After striking out in the first inning, Ohtani delivered a game-tying double to left-center off San Diego starter Dylan Cease in the third.

Ohtani delivered his second hit of the night, an RBI line-drive single to right, in the fourth off Cease, to give LA a 5-2 lead.

Cease (2-6) exited the game after giving up six runs on eight hits in five innings. He struck out nine, including the first five Dodgers batters in the game.

In his first game with double duty (pitching and hitting) in 2025, Ohtani went 2-for-4 with a walk for his third straight multihit game. He's batting .300 this season.

Helping the Dodgers win put a smile on Ohtani's face and delighted the team's legions of fans.

Asked about stepping on the pitcher's mound again, and doing so in front of a sell-out crowd (53,207 spectators), after nearly two years, Ohtani spoke about his gratitude for the doctor who performed his surgery and LA's medical staff.

Ohtani acknowledged that he received support from a lot of people along the way to return as an MLB pitcher.

"Today, regardless of the result," Ohtai told reporters, "I am glad that I was able to express my gratitude to all these people on the mound."

Author: Ed Odeven

Find Ed on JAPAN Forward's dedicated website, SportsLook. Follow his [Japan Sports Notebook] on Sundays, [Odds and Evens] during the week, and X (formerly Twitter) ＠ed_odeven.