The Los Angeles Dodgers started their four-game set against the San Diego Padres with the excitement of Shohei Ohtani making his Dodgers pitching debut.
After 22 months away from pitching, Ohtani tossed 28 pitches from the mound, allowing a run and two hits while finishing the day with a pair of RBIs at the plate and two hits of his own. The unreal talent of the two-way superstar was on full display at Dodger Stadium, but as the season marches on, the question remains when the three-time MVP will return.
More news: Dodgers’ Dave Roberts Calls Out Padres, Says They Intentionally Hit Shohei Ohtani
Before his Dodgers debut, Ohtani was doing weekly live batting practice sessions, with his most recent session lasting 44 pitches. Monday’s starting pitcher spoke on whether a weekly schedule would be feasible while he still continues to hit regularly.
“That’s my expectation,” Ohtani said through an interpreter. “But I did hit 100 (mph) today, so I want to see first where my body feels and how it reacts. But the expectation is for me to go once a week, hopefully to be able to go a little longer every time I’m out there so that the bullpen won’t be so taxed.”
Manager Dave Roberts agreed that the plan is weekly starts for Ohtani, but as the Dodgers’ pitching roster has seen this season, plans for the future are a fool’s errand.
“You’re talking six or seven, eight days, something like that,” Roberts said. “We’ll see how he is and whether it’s another one inning the next time, or two innings — I don’t know that yet, but it’s kind of a read-and-react situation.”
The ‘reading’ and ‘reacting’ will continue to be a spectacle for the baseball world as Ohtani continues to settle into his familiar role.
General manager Brandon Gomes perhaps said it best when discussing the ideal role for Ohtani down the stretch.
“The main goal is obviously to have him strong down the stretch run and through October,” Gomes said. “We won’t know that from here to there, but I do know at each step we’ll have those discussions and make sure that that is the guiding light, to make sure that he’s feeling as good as possible come October.”
For what it’s worth, Roberts said Ohtani was “a little fatigued but feels good” after his pitching debut on Monday.
More news: Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani Has 2-Word Message Following Return to Pitching
Photo Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
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