Shohei Ohtani continued to show his progress on the mound by pitching two scoreless innings while going hitless in four at-bats in the Los Angeles Dodgers’ 9-5 loss to the Kansas City Royals on Saturday.

Ohtani’s four-seam fastball hit 101.7 miles (around 164 kilometers) per hour, the fastest pitch of his major league career, when he got Vinnie Pasquantino to ground into an inning-ending double play in a two-on situation in the bottom of the first at Kauffman Stadium.

The two-way Japanese star allowed a single and a walk in the frame. He returned to the mound for a 1-2-3 second inning.

Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers pitches in a baseball game against the Kansas City Royals on June 28, 2025, at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Ohtani, who made his long-awaited return to the mound earlier this month from elbow surgery, struck out one in his third start of the season after working one inning each in his previous two outings.

On the fastest pitch he has thrown in the majors, Ohtani said, “My velocity goes up naturally as I try not to give up a hit when runners are on base.”

“Overall, it was good to attack the (strike) zone aggressively.”

Maikel Garcia gave the Royals a 2-0 lead in the third with a two-run double off Ben Casparius, who relieved Ohtani.

Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Shohei Ohtani (L) exchanges words with Bobby Witt Jr. of the Kansas City Royals after ending the first inning at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri, on June 28, 2025. (Kyodo) 

The Royals went on to extend their lead to 9-1 by the seventh, with Pasquantino driving in five runs with a homer and a double.

The Dodgers had their five-game winning streak snapped. On the hitting side, Ohtani struck out three times and flied out once.

In other action, Chicago Cubs designated hitter Seiya Suzuki hit a two-run homer, his career-high 22nd of the season, among his two hits in a 12-3 rout of the Houston Astros.

Seiya Suzuki of the Chicago Cubs hits a home run during the eighth inning of a baseball game against the Houston Astros in Houston, Texas, on June 28, 2025. (AP/Kyodo)

Related coverage:

Baseball: Ohtani homers in 2nd straight game as Dodgers down Royals

Baseball: Imanaga gets win in return from injury, Ohtani hits 28th HR

Baseball: Dodgers’ Yamamoto, Angels’ Kikuchi pitch teams to victories