Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani dazzles in spring pitching debut

PHOENIX –– Shohei Ohtani said it didn’t feel like he was making his first spring training start on Wednesday.

Based on the way he pitched, it certainly didn’t look like it, either. 

In 4 ⅓ scoreless innings against the Giants at Camelback Ranch, Ohtani checked almost every possible box in his first live game action of camp –– having previously been limited only to live batting practice sessions while he was away with Team Japan at the World Baseball Classic.

Dodgers pitcher Shohei Ohtani delivers against the Giants on Wednesday at Camelback Ranch. Getty Images

The superstar right-hander was equal parts efficient, able to work past his pregame target of four innings by throwing only 61 pitches, and dominant, allowing one hit and striking out four batters. 

His fastball was crisp, averaging 97.6 mph and topping out at 99.9 mph. His splitter, sweeper and curveball all generated awkward swings-and-misses against an overmatched Giants lineup. And while Ohtani walked two batters, hit another and bemoaned a few poorly executed putaway pitches with two strikes, the overall product had manager Dave Roberts shaking his head with a smile afterward.

“I’ve learned that you don’t ever underestimate or try to make predictions on what Shohei’s gonna do,” Roberts said, admitting he expected Ohtani to look more rusty in his first spring outing. “He’s always gonna deliver.”

Before Wednesday, questions remained about exactly how Ohtani’s compressed pitching build-up would go as he hurried to get ready for the regular season.

Prior to leaving for the WBC, he had thrown a couple live BP sessions on the backfields at Dodgers camp. During his time serving as Team Japan’s designated hitter, he threw a couple more against his WBC teammates, steadily building up to four innings of stamina.

Still, the initial expectation when he returned to Arizona was that he wouldn’t pitch until next week’s exhibition Freeway Series against the Angels in Los Angeles.

Instead, he showed up feeling good enough to pitch a bullpen session Tuesday, then turned right around to take the mound Wednesday.

“This is the first time he’s going to face competition since the World Series,” Roberts said pregame. “I would expect to see an intense performance focus from Shohei.”

Dodgers pitcher Shohei Ohtani gestures during the fifth inning against the Giants on Wednesday at Camelback Ranch. Getty Images

Such intensity, of course, is likely to define Ohtani’s entire season this year, as he returns to two-way duties full time. Never before has he shouldered such a burden on a team with World Series aspirations. Not since his final season with the Angels in 2023 has he even been able to pitch and hit without restrictions on his schedule.

Last year, Ohtani logged 47 regular-season innings in his return from a second career Tommy John surgery, then threw 20 more during the team’s postseason run to a second consecutive World Series.

But now, his workload is largely unencumbered. His full arsenal can be deployed without the limitations that came with his Tommy John recovery last year.

Because of that, he returned to the clubhouse Wednesday and voiced several hopes for this season.

Among them: Making at least 25 starts. Posting every turn through the rotation on normal, for him, 5-6 days of rest (even though, he acknowledged, he will listen if the team suggests he take longer breaks between some outings). Potentially vying for a first Cy Young Award to go along with his four MVPs. And reaching the playoffs prepared for another World Series trek.

“He’s one of our best pitchers,” Roberts said. “And for him to have a foundation, being past the surgery, with what he did last year, knowing that he can take down starts in the mid-20s, it just makes us better. And I know that’s what he’s expecting from himself.”

Next up for Ohtani will be a second spring outing against the Angels in next week’s Freeway Series. That will line up his regular-season pitching debut for the second series of the Dodgers’ opening homestand against the Guardians at the end of the month, likely for at least five innings.

At the start of spring, such a target seemed uncertain, given the quick turnaround Ohtani faced coming back from the WBC.

Instead, once again, he has erased all doubt –– getting right back on schedule for the 2026 campaign.