Los Angeles Dodgers — Shohei Ohtani took another step in his pitching return on Saturday, and the message was loud and clear — he’s not just back, he’s throwing harder than ever.
Facing the Kansas City Royals in his third start of the season for the Dodgers, Ohtani lit up the radar gun with a 101.7 mph fastball — the hardest of his MLB career. That pitch ended the first inning in style, inducing a double play from Vinnie Pasquantino. It was one of three pitches Ohtani threw over 100 mph on the night.
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While he opened the game a bit shaky, allowing two of the first three batters to reach and issuing his first walk of the season, Ohtani settled in quickly. He needed just 14 pitches to escape the first inning, then followed it up with a clinical second frame — 13 pitches, 12 strikes, three outs. Royals batters had no answer, with Jac Caglianone going down swinging on a sharp slider.
“Assuming the first inning wasn’t too stressful, we were going to try to get him into the second,” said Dodgers manager Dave Roberts before the game. That plan went off without a hitch. Ohtani was lifted after two efficient innings, finishing with 27 pitches (20 for strikes), one hit, one walk, and one strikeout.
The start marked another leap in Ohtani’s journey back from elbow and shoulder surgeries. He hadn’t pitched in a game since 2023 until this month, but his recent outings have steadily ramped up in effectiveness and velocity. And now, he’s combining power with precision.
Already a force at the plate with 29 home runs and a spot in the 40/40 club, Ohtani’s return to the mound elevates his value — and the Dodgers’ ceiling — to a different level.
Whether or not he stretches out to five or six innings later this season, one thing is clear: when Shohei Ohtani steps on the field, baseball enters a different orbit.