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Fox Sports
3 days ago
- Sport
- Fox Sports
'I Was Kinda Fanboying': The Ohtani Experience Is Back In Dodgers Pitching Debut
LOS ANGELES - Ahead of one of baseball's most anticipated moments, the Dodgers clubhouse had a distinctly divine aura to it. At least it felt that way as "Shine" by Collective Soul played throughout the clubhouse on Monday afternoon. With the line "Heaven, let your light shine down" ringing throughout, the spotlight beamed down on the game's starting pitcher – who happens to also be the best hitter in the National League. Four hours later, 22 months after his last major-league pitching appearance, 21 months after his second elbow reconstruction and 18 months after committing to the Dodgers in free agency, Ohtani was a two-way sensation again. "I mean, he's the best player on the planet," manager Dave Roberts said. "I think everyone can kind of admire that. We did this in high school, two-way players. Or college, maybe, certain people. But to do it as this level, and to be so talented, I think we all marvel at it." As it turns out, even a unicorn feels nerves. Admittedly, Ohtani felt the weight of Monday night's occasion more than he would on a typical day as a designated hitter. He aimed to sit in the mid-90s in velocity. Instead, with the added adrenaline, his fastball averaged 99 mph and touched 100. A crowd of 53,207 fans arrived early, hanging on every pitch. Ohtani was grateful to be back, though displeased with the results. He exhibited some understandable rust in his first appearance on the mound since Aug. 23, 2023. He got each of the first four batters he faced into two-strike counts but failed to record a strikeout and allowed two singles. He did not receive help on a generous check-swing call that kept Manny Machado's at-bat alive. Machado finished the at-bat with a sacrifice fly to bring home the lone run charged against Ohtani in his only inning of work. "I'm just really grateful," Ohtani said through an interpreter. Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani made his starting pitching debut vs. San Diego Padres. When the 28-pitch frame concluded, Ohtani hopped between the letters of the Security Benefit logo on the third-base line and the Dodgers' dugout, fist-bumped his catcher, Will Smith, and went through a customary sticky check from the umpire. He never actually retreated into the dugout. As one role ended, the other began. Dodgers field coordinator Bob Geren got him a towel to wipe the sweat off his forehead. Ohtani stood outside the railing of the dugout, strapped on his elbow and shin guards and strolled to the plate to lead off the bottom of the first. "It kinda hit a little different seeing it from our side, like, that's incredible what he's able to do," Max Muncy said. "He threw 25, 30 pitches, whatever it was, in the first inning, and then didn't even get a drink of water. Just put his helmet on, went right to the batter's box." "I was kind of fanboying for like half an inning," Roberts said. Ohtani struck out in his first at-bat, but two innings later, he got the run that he allowed back when he evened the score with a game-tying RBI double. He went 2-for-4 and knocked in two runs as the DH in a 6-3 win. "Seeing how he's just managed the emotions of it all, you've got to be extremely disciplined to be able to kind of put your mind and body in the position to do that," Roberts said. The pomp and circumstance took place much sooner than expected. The Dodgers had exercised caution throughout Ohtani's rehab process as he worked his way back from elbow surgery. He returned to throwing off a mound by August of last year, but he stopped pitching in October as the Dodgers made their run to a title. A torn labrum in his non-throwing shoulder he suffered during that run slowed his pitching progression further, though he resumed throwing bullpens this spring. At that point, there was some thought he might be able to pitch in games by May. But the Dodgers, who want him healthy and pitching when it matters most, decided to slow-play it further. He didn't face hitters until May 25 in New York. By then, a return to pitching sometime around the start of the season's second half seemed reasonable. Instead, barely three weeks later, he was back on a big-league mound. "What he was doing in bullpens early on, like you could just put that into the game and you'd feel good about it," general manager Brandon Gomes said. Ohtani's status as a two-way player gives the Dodgers — who have 14 pitchers on the injured list, a once-again depleted rotation and a bullpen that has thrown more innings than any relief unit in the sport — an extra pitcher on the roster beyond the typical limit of 13. But the Dodgers didn't want that luxury or their pitching deficiencies to dictate his expedited return. Plans began to change over the past week after Ohtani worked up to three innings and 44 pitches in his third and final live session in San Diego last Tuesday. There were multiple reasons for that. Ohtani's command and "electric stuff," as Gomes described it, convinced coaches and executives that he was ready to return. More importantly, the live BP sessions in the afternoon before leading off at night seemed to be more exhausting than just hitting and pitching in a game simultaneously. "Getting hot, throwing a live at 1:30, 2:00, cooling down, coming back, getting ready to lead off the game, I can't even imagine how taxing that is," Gomes said. "There is no playbook for this, so it has to be an ongoing conversation and making sure that Shohei is the one driving this conversation." After his most recent live BP, Ohtani felt he was game ready. On Friday, Roberts intimated that Ohtani might only need to be built up to two innings to be able to pitch for them. Ohtani was already at that point as he made the push to return. He could effectively finish the end of his rehab by pitching one or two innings in a big-league game. "I think it's more of like, 'Well, I don't think there's anything else to do. I'm ready to go. What else do I need to do to get back on a major-league mound?'" Roberts explained. "You try to treat him like a normal pitcher and a normal ramp up or build up, but if it's going to be an inning or two, it's 'Well, I've already done that. Can I pitch now?'" The Dodgers crystallized their plans over the past 48 hours. On Sunday night, the team divulged that Ohtani would be starting Monday against the Padres. Ticket prices spiked. Excitement built among the players, the staff and even in the opposing dugout. "Ric Flair would say, 'To be the man, you've got to beat the man,'" Padres manager Mike Shildt said. "If we're going to be the best, we've got to beat the best. It's what this is all about." Ohtani left an indelible mark on the club last season when he became the first player to record 50 homers and 50 stolen bases in a season. He was a force on the field and a cash cow off it, as evidenced by the Tokyo Electron, All Nippon Airways and Toyo Tires ads plastered on the outfield wall at Dodger Stadium. His work was unprecedented, but what makes him one of the game's most otherworldly characters was still to come. The results on the mound Monday night weren't to his liking, but they represented a major step forward. If all goes to plan, one inning will turn to two. Two innings will turn to three. He'll pitch once a week. And life as it was will be again for the game's two-way superstar. "We saw it, I saw it, from the other side, from afar, when he was with the Angels," Roberts said. "So now, I think I got the best seat in the house to watch this guy start and then take an at-bat. This is bananas. So, I'm thrilled." Rowan Kavner is an MLB writer for FOX Sports. He previously covered the L.A. Dodgers, LA Clippers and Dallas Cowboys. An LSU grad, Rowan was born in California, grew up in Texas, then moved back to the West Coast in 2014. Follow him on X at @RowanKavner . recommended Get more from Major League Baseball Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more in this topic
Yahoo
17-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Collective Soul & Live Announce 2025 U.S. Summer Unity Amphitheater Tour Dates
Veteran rockers Collective Soul and Live announced the dates for their co-headlining Summer Unity 2025 U.S. amphitheater tour on Monday (March 17). The 30-date Live Nation-produced outing is slated to kick off on July 8 with a show at the White River Amphitheatre in Auburn, WA and hit outdoor venues in California, Missouri, Michigan, New York, Virginia, Florida, Georgia, Texas, Colorado and North Carolina before winding down on August 29 at the Hollywood Casino at Penn Race Course in Grantville, PA. In a dramatic three-minute video announcing the tour Collective Soul singer Ed Roland sets up for an acoustic set at a bar in St. Catharines, Ontario on one side of the screen while Live singer Ed Kowalczyk tunes his guitar on the other side in a New York pub. As the tock clicks, Kowalczyk breaks into his band's iconic hit 'I Alone,' while Roland strums out his group's signature song, 'Shine.' More from Billboard Fans Choose LE SSERAFIM's 'HOT' as This Week's Favorite New Music Lady Gaga's 'MAYHEM' Debuts at No. 1 on Billboard 200 Chart Fire Breaks Out During Concert at North Macedonia Nightclub, Killing 59 People The performances are so intense they begin to make beer pints shudder as Kowalczyk zeroes in on a golden leprechaun throwing up the metal hand sign before the little guy explodes and lands both men in a black void. 'Either I've reached enlightenment or I'm having a stroke,' Roland says to Kowalczyk when he wonders how they ended up in the blank space. 'Are we… dead?' Kowlaczyk asks. 'No, you crazy cat. I think we're in a cool Irish pub,' Roland responds in the video timed with Monday's St. Patrick's Day celebration. 'You ever feel like we're the same person, but stretched across two different versions of reality?' Roland asks. 'Like we were once one singular Ed, but something, an event, a cosmic schism split us into two?' They don't agree on the vagaries of the universe, but the two old friends are totally simpatico about hitting the road again together, and enjoying the weird smell of tour buses and the allure of that sweet, sweet arena show catering. '+LIVE+ is thrilled to be joining forces with the amazing Collective Soul! The great vibes between our two bands on and offstage is something we have both enjoyed for years, and here we come in 2025! This will be a very special night of music for all of the fans; I know everyone is gonna get rocked and uplifted right along with us…come on out!,' said Kowalczyk in a statement. Roland added, 'It was August 1994, and we, Collective Soul, were on our way to Woodstock. As our van pulled up to the grounds, another one pulled up beside us and out jumped the band +LIVE+. We became immediate friends, exchanging guitar picks with each other as soon as we met. Since that day, the Ed and Ed show has been nothing but pure, genuine friendship, and rock and roll. We're excited that 31 years later, we still not only enjoy each other's company, but enjoy playing music. It's going to be a fun summer sharing it with fans, friends and +LIVE+.' Joining the bands on the tour — their first together since a 2008 co-headlining run — will be Our Lady Peace and Greylin James Rue. Tickets will be available starting with an artist presale kicking off on Tuesday (March 18) at 10 a.m. local time, followed by additional presales throughout the week ahead of a general onsale starting on Friday (March 21) at 10 a.m. local time here. Watch the Summer Unity Tour promo video and see the tour dates below. Summer Unity 2025 tour dates July 8 – Auburn, WA @ White River Amphitheatre July 9 – Bend, OR @ Hayden Homes Amphitheater July 11 – Wheatland, CA @ Toyota Amphitheatre July 13 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Utah First Credit Union Amphitheatre July 16 – Kansas City, MO @ Starlight Theatre July 17 – St. Louis, MO @ Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre July 20 – Huber Heights, OH @ Rose Music Center* July 22 – Sterling Heights, MI @ Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre July 26 – Buffalo, NY @ Darien Lake Amphitheater July 27 – Bridgeport, CT @ Hartford HealthCare Amphitheater July 30 – Bangor, ME @ Maine Savings Amphitheater July 31 – Wantagh, NY @ Northwell at Jones Beach Theater August 2 – Bethel, NY @ Bethel Woods Center for the Arts August 3 – Bristow, VA @ Jiffy Lube Live August 5 – Greensboro, NC @ White Oak Amphitheatre August 6 – Charleston, SC @ Credit One Stadium August 8 – Jacksonville, FL @ Daily's Place August 9 – Alpharetta, GA @ Ameris Bank Amphitheatre August 10 – Nashville, TN @ FirstBank Amphitheater August 13 – Irving, TX @ The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory August 15 – Houston, TX @ 713 Music Hall August 16 – Austin, TX @ Germania Insurance Amphitheater August 18 – Albuquerque, NM @ Isleta Amphitheater August 19 – Denver, CO @ Fiddler's Green Amphitheater* August 21 – Lincoln, NE @ Pinewood Bowl Theater* August 22 – Ridgedale, MO @ Thunder Ridge Nature Arena August 23 – Albertville, AL @ Sand Mountain Amphitheater* August 26 – Simpsonville, SC @ CCNB Amphitheatre August 28 – Charlotte, NC @ Skyla Credit Union Amphitheatre August 29 – Grantville, PA @ Hollywood Casino at Penn Race Course* *Non-Live Nation Date Best of Billboard Chart Rewind: In 1989, New Kids on the Block Were 'Hangin' Tough' at No. 1 Janet Jackson's Biggest Billboard Hot 100 Hits H.E.R. & Chris Brown 'Come Through' to No. 1 on Adult R&B Airplay Chart
