Shohei Ohtani performs well in his initial pitching appearance.

Shohei Ohtani’s Season Debut as a Pitcher and Batter

Shohei Ohtani didn’t allow any runs in his debut as a pitcher this season. However, his batting during the Dodgers’ 4-1 victory over the Cleveland Guardians was noteworthy as well.

This season marks Ohtani’s return to full two-way playing for the Dodgers, which is significant given his impressive career so far. He’s set to pitch regularly throughout the season and, judging by his first outing—where he allowed just one hit and struck out six in six innings during a light rain—it looks like he might be a contender for the Cy Young Award, which he hasn’t yet secured since joining the majors.

One concern heading into this season was whether his pitching responsibilities would affect his performance at the plate.

Last year, when Ohtani came back from Tommy John surgery, his batting suffered. In his 14 regular season starts, he managed only a .222 batting average along with four home runs and 21 strikeouts. His average even plummeted to .147 following those games, leading to questions about the impact of his dual roles.

Manager Dave Roberts noted last season that Ohtani didn’t seem to perform well offensively when he was pitching. After his playoff performance—where he pitched historically well, despite earlier struggles—he downplayed the connection between his pitching and batting, asserting he didn’t feel a physical link. Yet, it was still a topic of conversation for Roberts leading into Ohtani’s first game this season. Notably, Roberts mentioned he’d keep a close eye on Ohtani’s performance at the plate, especially during the first inning transitions at home games.

In his first at-bat this season, following a scoreless first inning, Ohtani hurried back to the dugout and grounded out with an erratic swing while umpires checked his gear for illegal substances. However, he showed improvement afterward.

By the third inning, he walked on five pitches, and in the fifth, he again drew a walk on four pitches. Once his pitching duties were over in the seventh, he grounded out, showcasing a much steadier approach than in prior seasons. It wasn’t exactly a highlight reel, but notably, he didn’t waste at-bats like he often did last year.

Roberts remarked on Ohtani’s performance post-game, saying, “He’s getting walks and swinging at good pitches. The hits will come. It was a solid night.” This result was crucial since Roberts mentioned they plan for Ohtani to start on the days he pitches, but they might adjust that strategy depending on his performance and circumstances.

Ohtani’s batting may influence how the team utilizes him moving forward, especially considering how they adjusted his pitching schedule last season to align with off days. “We’ll monitor his starts and see how he’s doing,” Roberts said, indicating there’s still a testing phase for Ohtani as a two-way player.