Shohei Ohtani Shines on the Mound

Shohei Ohtani turned heads on Saturday.

The 30-year-old pitcher brought some serious velocity during his third start of the 2025 season, clocking in at 101.7 mph on his 14th pitch against the Royals.

Although Royals’ first baseman Vinny Pascantino made contact with the fastball, he ultimately found himself grounded into a double play to wrap up the first inning.

Interestingly, Ohtani’s prior fastest pitch in Major League Baseball was a 101.4 mph fastball directed at Astros outfielder Kyle Tucker when he returned in 2022.

The Dodgers mentioned that Ohtani’s pitch on Saturday marked the most powerful throw by their pitching staff this season.

In addition, Ohtani reached a triple-digit speed earlier in his at-bat against Pascantino, throwing a 100.2 mph fastball that zipped into the inner corner.

As reported by ESPN’s Jeff Passan, Ohtani had previously reached 102 mph during the 2023 World Baseball Classic.

Returning to the mound, Ohtani pitched two innings on Saturday, allowing just one hit while striking out one and walking another in his third outing since the 2023 season.

This year, throughout three appearances, he has given up just one run and recorded three hits over four innings.

Ohtani is back after undergoing his second elbow surgery in 2023 while with the Angels.

Prior to his injury, he had pitched 132 innings with a 10-5 record, a 3.14 ERA, and secured 167 strikeouts before being sidelined for the remainder of the 2023 season.

Ohtani and Dodgers manager Dave Roberts described the approach to managing the pitching workload for two-way players as a gradual process.

In a conversation following his start with the Nationals, Ohtani remarked, “We want to improve the quality of the pitches we’re throwing, and we’ll gradually increase our pitch count.”

Roberts echoed that sentiment, saying, “It’s about establishing the fundamentals. [pitching and hitting] It’s important that we exercise caution… there’s no need to rush this.”