Dodgers starting pitcher Shohei Ohtani takes the mound during the first inning of their game against the San Diego Padres on Monday, June 16, 2025, at Dodger Stadium. It was the first time Ohtani pitched in a major league game in 22 months following elbow surgery and his first time ever pitching for the Dodgers. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG) Dodgers starting pitcher Shohei Ohtani makes his way to the mound before the first inning of their game against the San Diego Padres on Monday, June 16, 2025, at Dodger Stadium. It was the first time Ohtani pitched in a major league game in 22 months following elbow surgery and his first time ever pitching for the Dodgers. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG) Dodgers starting pitcher Shohei Ohtani takes the mound during the first inning of their game against the San Diego Padres on Monday, June 16, 2025, at Dodger Stadium. It was the first time Ohtani pitched in a major league game in 22 months following elbow surgery and his first time ever pitching for the Dodgers. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG) Dodgers starting pitcher Shohei Ohtani takes the mound during the first inning of their game against the San Diego Padres on Monday, June 16, 2025, at Dodger Stadium. It was the first time Ohtani pitched in a major league game in 22 months following elbow surgery and his first time ever pitching for the Dodgers. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG) Dodgers starting pitcher Shohei Ohtani throws to the plate during the first inning of their game against the San Diego Padres on Monday, June 16, 2025, at Dodger Stadium. It was the first time Ohtani pitched in a major league game in 22 months following elbow surgery and his first time ever pitching for the Dodgers. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG) Dodgers starting pitcher Shohei Ohtani throws to the plate during the first inning of their game against the San Diego Padres on Monday, June 16, 2025, at Dodger Stadium. It was the first time Ohtani pitched in a major league game in 22 months following elbow surgery and his first time ever pitching for the Dodgers. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG) Dodgers starting pitcher Shohei Ohtani takes the mound during the first inning of their game against the San Diego Padres on Monday, June 16, 2025, at Dodger Stadium. It was the first time Ohtani pitched in a major league game in 22 months following elbow surgery and his first time ever pitching for the Dodgers. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG) Dodgers starting pitcher Shohei Ohtani takes the mound during the first inning of their game against the San Diego Padres on Monday, June 16, 2025, at Dodger Stadium. It was the first time Ohtani pitched in a major league game in 22 months following elbow surgery and his first time ever pitching for the Dodgers. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG) Dodgers starting pitcher Shohei Ohtani throws to the plate during the first inning of their game against the San Diego Padres on Monday, June 16, 2025, at Dodger Stadium. It was the first time Ohtani pitched in a major league game in 22 months following elbow surgery and his first time ever pitching for the Dodgers. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG) Dodgers starting pitcher Shohei Ohtani throws to the plate during the first inning of their game against the San Diego Padres on Monday, June 16, 2025, at Dodger Stadium. It was the first time Ohtani pitched in a major league game in 22 months following elbow surgery and his first time ever pitching for the Dodgers. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG) Dodgers starting pitcher Shohei Ohtani takes the mound during the first inning of their game against the San Diego Padres on Monday, June 16, 2025, at Dodger Stadium. It was the first time Ohtani pitched in a major league game in 22 months following elbow surgery and his first time ever pitching for the Dodgers. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG) Dodgers catcher Will Smith, left, shakes hands with pitcher Shohei Ohtani as they walk off the field after the top of the first inning of their game against the San Diego Padres on Monday, June 16, 2025, at Dodger Stadium. It was the first time Ohtani pitched in a major league game in 22 months following elbow surgery and his first time ever pitching for the Dodgers. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG) Show Caption1 of 12Dodgers starting pitcher Shohei Ohtani takes the mound during the first inning of their game against the San Diego Padres on Monday, June 16, 2025, at Dodger Stadium. It was the first time Ohtani pitched in a major league game in 22 months following elbow surgery and his first time ever pitching for the Dodgers. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG) Expand
LOS ANGELES — It seemed like the first time. It had been so long since Shohei Ohtani pitched – and on such a smaller stage than a sold-out Dodger Stadium for the defending World Series champions – that his days as a two-way player had receded into myth.
One inning, five batters, 28 pitches brought it all back.
Twenty-one months after his second elbow surgery and 22 months after his last start with the Angels, Ohtani took the mound in a major-league game, resuming the pitching half of his unique career with an inning against the San Diego Padres on Monday night.
Ohtani gave up a run but drove in two with his bat as the Dodgers put together a 6-3 victory over the Padres, their fifth in the first seven games of this 10-game NL West neighborhood war against the Padres and San Francisco Giants.
Hours before game time, Ohtani was at his locker, yawning as if it was any other workday. The excitement in the stadium made it clear this wasn’t. Half the crowd seemed to be wearing Ohtani jerseys and they came to celebrate baseball’s unicorn returning to the mound, reacting to each pitch in his one inning – reminiscent of Ohtani’s at-bats in the Tokyo Series when even his foul balls prompted excited “oohs” and “ahhs.”
Ohtani emerged from the home dugout at 6:30 p.m. and headed toward the outfield to begin his pre-game preparations, drawing a roar from the early arrivals in the crowd, on their feet in anticipation.
Forty minutes later, he took the mound to Michael Buble’s version of “Feeling Good,” his walkup song – usually heard in short bursts before his at-bats – getting an extended play as he warmed up.
The man of the hour threw his first pitch in a major-league game since Aug. 23, 2023 – a 97.6 mph fastball that Padres leadoff man Fernando Tatis Jr. fouled off. Tatis worked the count full before dumping a single into center field, Andy Pages’ diving effort coming up just short.
An Ohtani wild pitch moved Tatis to second and Luis Arraez followed with a line-drive single, moving Tatis to third. He tagged up and scored just ahead of the throw when Manny Machado lifted a sacrifice fly to Pages.
Ohtani needed 18 pitches to get that first out. Two ground outs followed to end the inning – and Ohtani’s pitching debut.
The velocity was there. He averaged 99.1 mph on nine four-seam fastballs and touched 100.2 mph to Luis Arraez, a significant jump from his live batting practice sessions.
The command was spotty. Ohtani threw 28 pitches, only 16 strikes. Even the 100.2 mph fastball missed the strike zone.
Of the five balls the Padres put in play, however, only one reached the Statcast standard for a “hard-hit ball” – Arraez’s single had an exit velocity of 95.6 mph.
Ohtani outscored the Padres from there, driving in two runs with a single and a double after the Dodgers turned things around against Padres starter Dylan Cease.
Cease allowed just two hits while striking out 11 Dodgers in seven scoreless innings at Petco Park last week. He struck out the first five Dodgers he faced, building on that.
But Ohtani’s double drove in the Dodgers’ first run in the third inning and the roof caved in on Cease in the fourth. The Dodgers batted around, scoring five times on six hits including Ohtani’s RBI single and a two-run single from Max Muncy.
The relay team of six relievers who followed Ohtani made the big inning hold up to the end.
More to come on this story.
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