Shohei Ohtani to make second start for Dodgers on Sunday
After pitching for the first time in nearly two years on Monday, the Los Angeles Dodgers will give right-hander Shohei Ohtani his second start of the season at home against the Washington Nationals on Sunday.
A rusty Ohtani pitched one inning in his Dodgers pitching debut against the San Diego Padres on Monday, needing 28 pitches to get through his one frame. He gave up one run on two hits with no walks or strikeouts while facing five batters.
Los Angeles, crushed by injuries to its starting pitchers, welcomed back left-hander Clayton Kershaw last month, while Ohtani and right-hander Emmet Sheehan returned this week. Ohtani, 30, has been on the mend from Tommy John revision surgery in September 2023.
On Monday, Ohtani's fastest pitch was 100.2 mph to Padres No. 2 hitter Luis Arraez. He threw three other fastballs at 99.1 mph.
"I was aiming to sit 95, 96, but the game intensity really allowed me to throw a little harder, and I was able to adjust back to be able to throw 95, 96 against (Xander) Bogaerts in the last at-bat," Ohtani said through an interpreter.
In 86 career pitching starts with the Los Angeles Angels from 2018 to 2023, Ohtani went 38-19 with a 3.01 ERA and 608 strikeouts in 481⅔ innings.
He was voted American League MVP in 2021 and 2023 for his hitting and pitching exploits, then won the National League MVP last season with the Dodgers after he hit 54 home runs with 59 stolen bases.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Kyodo News
an hour ago
- Kyodo News
Baseball: Ohtani 1-for-3 with RBI as Dodgers hold off Nationals 6-5
KYODO NEWS - 3 minutes ago - 17:10 | Sports, All Shohei Ohtani broke a three-game RBI drought with a timely single as he helped the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Washington Nationals 6-5 in their series opener on Friday. The two-way superstar went 1-for-3 with two walks and showed no ill effects from being hit with a fastball in Thursday's 5-3 loss to the San Diego Padres. Ohtani extended the home team's lead to 4-1 in the bottom of the fourth at Dodger Stadium when he scored Miguel Rojas with a ground-ball single to right field. Rojas starred for the Dodgers, hitting a two-run homer in the sixth as part of a 2-for-3 outing. Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts said Ohtani, who was plunked near the right shoulder by San Diego closer Robert Suarez during an ill-tempered end to Thursday's game, would still pitch as scheduled against Washington on Sunday. Roberts sat out the series opener against the Nationals while serving a one-game suspension for his part in Thursday's flare-up between the Dodgers and Padres. San Diego skipper Mike Shildt was also suspended for a game, while Suarez received a three-game ban, which he is appealing. In other MLB action, Baltimore Orioles starter Tomoyuki Sugano was pulled after 3-2/3 innings of his team's 5-3 comeback win against the New York Yankees. The Japanese right-hander gave up three runs on seven hits, including an Aaron Judge solo home run in the third, while walking three and striking out four. The Orioles turned the game around with two runs in the eighth. Los Angeles Angels starter Yusei Kikuchi did not factor in his team's 3-2, 10-inning loss to the Houston Astros after throwing seven innings of two-run ball in which he scattered six hits and had nine strikeouts. Related coverage: Baseball: Yamamoto takes loss for Dodgers as Padres escape sweep Baseball: Suzuki's 3-run homer lifts Cubs past Brewers Ex-Ohtani interpreter Mizuhara reports to U.S. prison
Japan Today
7 hours ago
- Japan Today
Dodgers' Roki Sasaki resumes his throwing program in recovery from shoulder injury
FILE - Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Roki Sasaki, of Japan, throws against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the second inning of a baseball game Friday, May 9, 2025, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Darryl Webb, File) baseball By GREG BEACHAM Los Angeles Dodgers right-hander Roki Sasaki has restarted his throwing program as he continues his recovery from a right shoulder injury. Manager Dave Roberts said the 23-year-old phenom threw from 60 to 90 feet Friday in his return to workouts after a brief pause. 'That was a bonus,' Roberts said. 'That was a plus. Chatted with him briefly afterward. He was excited about it.' The Dodgers had halted Sasaki's throwing program for the previous several days because he didn't feel comfortable throwing at full intensity. Roberts confirmed that Sasaki has remained pain-free, but must build up his arm to game strength in a process that will take at least a few more weeks. Sasaki went on the injured list May 13 with right shoulder impingement, and the Dodgers transferred him to the 60-day injured list earlier Friday to make room on their roster for their latest trade acquisition, left-hander Zach Penrod. Roberts said Sasaki's move to the 60-day list was 'procedural, (and) the progression, it doesn't affect that at all.' Sasaki began his first stateside season in the Dodgers' rotation, going 1-1 with a 4.72 ERA and a 1.49 WHIP in eight starts while adjusting to his move from Japan to MLB. The Dodgers shut down Sasaki after he developed pain in his shoulder, but the two-time Nippon Professional Baseball All-Star began throwing again earlier this month. The Dodgers currently have a mere 13 pitchers on the injured list after having as many as 15 injured hurlers in recent weeks — and Sasaki isn't the only key starter making progress in his recovery. Tyler Glasnow will throw two innings Sunday for Triple-A Oklahoma City in his first rehab assignment, Roberts said. The $136.5 million right-hander has been on the injured list since April 28 with right shoulder inflammation. Two-time Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell will throw a bullpen session soon at Dodger Stadium, Roberts said. The left-hander made only two starts to begin the first season of his $182 million deal before going on the injured list with left shoulder inflammation. Shohei Ohtani threw a bullpen session on schedule Friday despite getting hit by a pitch in his pitching shoulder in the ninth inning of the Dodgers' contentious 5-3 loss to the San Diego Padres on Thursday night. Ohtani is still scheduled to make his second mound start for the Dodgers on Sunday. © Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Japan Today
12 hours ago
- Japan Today
Cubs legend Sammy Sosa returns to Wrigley Field after 20-plus-year hiatus
FILE - Chicago Cubs' Sammy Sosa (21) and San Diego Padres catcher Phil Nevin watch Sosa's game-winning three-run homer with one out in the ninth on June 2, 1999 in Chicago. (AP Photo/Stephen J. Carrera, File) baseball By MATT CARLSON Legendary Cubs slugger Sammy Sosa returned to Wrigley Field for the first time in more than 20 years on Friday before Chicago's afternoon game with the Seattle Mariners. Sosa, who is set to be inducted into the Cubs' team Hall of Fame this year, arrived at the iconic North Side ballpark in a black SUV. He was greeted by owner Tom Ricketts, who embraced him in a hug as he exited the vehicle. Sosa became the face of the Cubs franchise where he played 13 seasons after coming in a trade from the crosstown White Sox in March 1992. A seven-time All-Star, Sosa hit 545 homers in 1,811 games with the Cubs and hit a franchise-record 66 in 1998 when he was named the NL's MVP. Sosa, now 56, played his final game with the Cubs at Wrigley on Oct. 2, 2004, when he homered and had two hits in an 8-6 loss to Atlanta. During his years with the Cubs, Sosa appeared to bulk up drastically and was a headliner in a generation of baseball's biggest names linked to performance-enhancing drugs. The Cubs traded him to Baltimore with cash in February 2005 for three players. Sosa appeared to acknowledge using performance-enhancing drugs in December when he released a statement saying he was sorry for mistakes, without specifying them. 'There were times I did whatever I could to recover from injuries in an effort to keep my strength up to perform over 162 games,' he said in the statement. 'I never broke any laws. But in hindsight, I made mistakes and I apologize.' On Friday morning, Sosa posed for photos with rising Cubs star Pete Crow-Armstrong outside the team's clubhouse and a video showed Sosa embracing manager Craig Counsell in his office before the game. '(Sosa) saw the wind blowing out today and planned this trip around a good day to be here,' Counsell joked. 'He asked to be in the lineup because the wind's blowing out.' The Cubs honored Sosa with a video board tribute after the second inning. Sosa waved and bowed to fans from a suite during the presentation. In Thursday's 8-7 loss to Milwaukee, Crow-Armstrong went deep to set a new team record for reaching 20 homers and 20-plus stolen stolen bases the fastest, doing it in 73 games. Sosa had the old mark of 96, set in 1994. Counsell, who faced Sosa as a player, saluted the former slugger for his strength at the plate and long homers, as well as star power. 'Probably the best thing, Sammy was a true entertainer," Counsell said. "I think when you're in this long enough, you realize that's part of this. 'We're also here to entertain and I think Sammy was great at that.' © Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
