Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani dazzles in 2026 pitching debut
Shohei Ohtani toed the mound for the first time in 2026 in Tuesday night's matchup between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Cleveland Guardians at Dodger Stadium, as the two-way Japanese phenom's quest for a fourth-straight MVP Award continues.
Ohtani dazzled on Tuesday night, hurling six innings during which he allowed just one hit, walked three and struck out six batters. He also performed well at the plate, slapping a single in the seventh inning, after he had been pulled from the game, and drawing two walks on the night.
He had already played in each of the Dodgers' first four games, leading off as their designated hitter and playing a big role in why they started the year off with an NL West-best 4-1 record.
Thousands of fans were lined up outside of the stadium gates on Tuesday afternoon, partially because of Ohtani's pitching debut, but also because of a unique mystery bobblehead giveaway, which the team revealed would be a Yoshi-themed figurine sporting the jersey of Japanese ace and reigning World Series MVP Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
Ohtani made his Dodgers' pitching debut last season after fully recovering from Tommy John surgery and skipping out on anything pitching-related in 2024. He started 14 games, and in 47 innings pitched, he had a 2.87 ERA and 62 strikeouts. Ohtani also started four games in the playoffs as the Boys in Blue stormed to back-to-back World Series titles.
It will be his 101st MLB pitching appearance and 15th with the Dodgers. Over the course of his career, he has a 39-20 record with a 3.00 ERA and 670 strikeouts in 528 and 2/3 innings pitched, most of which came during his tenure with the Los Angeles Angels.
Tuesday's start comes on the anniversary of his big league pitching debut on March 31, 2018, when he pitched six innings, struck out six batters and allowed three runs in a 7-4 win over the then-Oakland Athletics.
Despite making several pitching appearances in Spring Training, Ohtani forwent pitching in this year's World Baseball Classic, which saw Japan's powerhouse team fall to Venezuela in the quarterfinals. In 2023's edition of the WBC, Ohtani struck out then-teammate Mike Trout to secure Japan's tournament win.
In his second and final Spring Training start, Ohtani struck out 11 batters in just four innings of the Freeway Series finale against the Angels.
Ohtani has already developed a case as one of baseball's all-time greats since joining MLB in 2018. The greatest two-way player since Babe Ruth, he's the 2018 Rookie of the Year, a five-time All-Star, four-time MVP, four-time Silver Slugger, three-time Hank Aaron Award winner and six-time All-MLB First Team member. He has two World Series wins, both with the Dodgers, and in 2024, he became baseball's first-ever player to hit 50 homers and steal 50 bases in the same season.
He had arguably the greatest game of all time in Game 3 of the 2025 World Series, when he reached base nine times. He had two homers and two doubles in his first four at-bats before getting walked five times, four of which came intentionally.
Following Tuesday's game, Roki Sasaki's start on Monday night, a 4-2 loss to Cleveland, and Wednesday's matchup, which has Yoshinobu Yamamoto as Los Angeles' projected starter, the Dodgers will be the first MLB team ever to start a Japanese-born pitcher in three consecutive games, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
