Whenever Shohei Ohtani takes the mound, it often seems like the opposing team might struggle to score.
This season, he’s managed to keep opponents from scoring in five out of his ten appearances. In another outing, he only allowed a single run.
In fact, over his last four games, he’s surrendered just one run across 25 innings.
Ohtani has come very close to achieving perfection.
To contend for the National League Cy Young Award, he’ll need to keep up this level of performance until season’s end.
While Ohtani has showcased impressive talent, that alone may not be enough.
He hasn’t made enough starts.
His total for innings pitched this season is 61, as the Dodgers rotate six pitchers to manage their starters’ workloads better during the regular season.
Although we’re still not even 40% into the season, Ohtani is currently 25 1/3 innings ahead of Christopher Sanchez from the Phillies, who has already made three more starts.
When comparing starts and innings, Ohtani lags behind other Cy Young contenders like Jacob Misiorowski (12 starts, 71 innings), Chris Sale (12 starts, 72 2/3 innings), and Paul Skeens (13 starts, 70 innings).
To make up for this discrepancy, Ohtani will need to maintain an edge in quality over quantity.
No matter how skilled a pitcher is, they’ll inevitably face tough moments, but Ohtani can’t afford those slip-ups.
Sanchez, for example, allowed six runs in just over five innings against the Cubs on April 23.
Misiorowski’s ERA during April stood at 3.58.
Any performance akin to Sanchez’s or a stretch like Misiorowski’s could severely jeopardize Ohtani’s bid for the Cy Young.
It seems like Ohtani is quite aware of this critical point.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts noted, “Many starting pitchers tend to ease into their games, giving up a few runs early and settling into it. But Shohei views every run as precious. He genuinely aims for a shutout each time, something that not all starters share.”
Roberts emphasized that Ohtani doesn’t just allow runners to advance and hope for the best.
“He actively works to reduce stress on the mound from the outset,” Roberts added. “His average stands at 0.79 walks and hits per inning pitched.”
It’s worth mentioning that during the year Ohtani was eligible to pitch in 2022, he improved significantly as the season progressed.
That year, he started a career-high 28 games, pitching 166 innings for the Angels, and ultimately placed fourth in AL Cy Young voting.
By season’s end, he was arguably the top pitcher in baseball, boasting a 1.73 ERA across his final twelve starts. Notably, in his last seven outings, he posted an impressive 1.00 ERA.
Ohtani feels he’s on an upward trajectory, saying that his recent win against the Diamondbacks was a better performance than in his last start, where he pitched a six-inning no-hitter against the Rockies.
“I think it was an improvement over last time,” Ohtani remarked in Japanese. “Perhaps it wasn’t perfect, but definitely better than before.”
This season, Ohtani has pitched seven full innings in two of his starts, and these performances are expected to become more frequent for him. He should be recognized as a qualified pitcher.
That said, Sanchez would still surpass him significantly in total innings pitched. Ohtani’s challenge lies in ensuring his ERA remains very competitive in comparison.
