LOS ANGELES – There are those throughout baseball, I am sure, who remain convinced that Shohei Ohtani would be better as either a hitter or a pitcher, and that trying to do both is ultimately a fool’s errand.
I admit there are times that’s crossed my mind as well, wondering how long he can maintain what, in essence, are two different jobs for a Dodgers organization whose mantra may as well be “Championship or bust.”
But then there are games like Wednesday afternoon, which serve as reminders that we are seeing something none of us has ever witnessed. No matter how fervent a Dodger fan you are, and how much the wins and losses matter – and they do – sometimes it’s worth pausing to remind ourselves how special, how extraordinary this is.
Maybe it will impede the Dodgers’ quest to repeat as World Series champs, or maybe it won’t – and certainly, Shohei wasn’t the one making mistakes in the late innings of Wednesday’s 5-3 loss to St. Louis. But my goodness, isn’t it worth it to just watch the show?
Wednesday against the Cardinals, Ohtani pitched four innings, struck out eight, and allowed a run on two third-inning hits that strung together wouldn’t have left the infield: A popup by Jordan Walker that second baseman Miguel Rojas lost in the sun, and a gutsy two-out squeeze bunt by Brendan Donovan that scored Walker from third.
Then Ohtani wiped out that deficit in the bottom of the inning with a two-run, 440-foot blast into the pavilion in left center … which, as fate would have it, was his 1,000th career hit in his eight major league seasons. Add his five seasons for the Nippon Ham Fighters in Japan’s Pacific League, and as a hitter in both major leagues, he now has 1,296 hits, 312 home runs and 788 RBI.
Ohtani may not catch new Hall of Famer Ichiro Suzuki’s 4,367 hits between MLB and Nippon Professional Baseball, but he’s only 30. He’s got time to chip away. And it’s probably safe to say that they’ll be readying a space for Ohtani’s plaque in Cooperstown five years after this ride ends.
Ichiro did have one pitching appearance in his career, by the way, a lost-cause inning with Miami in 2015 when he was 41. Ichiro’s career ERA: 9.00. Shohei’s, after Wednesday: 2.36 in eight starts this season, 2.98 in this country’s big leagues and 2.74 counting his five seasons in Japan.
Again: We are seeing something we’ve never seen before, a baseball player willing, determined and able to excel at two diametrically opposed skills. Last season, Ohtani’s third MVP campaign was a season for the ages offensively. You can argue – and I would – that this one, given the degree of difficulty, is even more amazing.
Pitching involves meetings to go over the opposing hitters on days he starts, plus bullpens and side sessions in between starts. That’s on top of his preparation as a hitter, going over those scouting reports.
And consider: Rather than taking it easy the day before a start, as other pitchers might, Ohtani was 2 for 4 with three runs scored Tuesday night.
Let’s break down Wednesday’s performance further. He struck out Iván Herrera to end the third, his fifth K of the day and an inning in which he threw five of his six 100 mph pitches on the day (and also gave up that lone run). Then, as the third hitter in the bottom of the third and hit Matthew Liberatore’s 92 mph sinker halfway up the pavilion for his 39th homer of the year, with an exit velocity of 109.5, and a 2-1 lead.
And then he went out the next inning and struck out the side.
Afterward, he was asked if he did anything particular on days he pitches to make sure his offense didn’t suffer.
“I don’t really try to think too differently on days that I pitch and hit and on days that I only hit,” he responded through interpreter Will Ireton.
Manager Dave Roberts said there has been something of a recalibration on Ohtani’s part, after nearly two full years, from August of 2023 to June of ’25, in which he didn’t pitch while recovering from his second elbow surgery.
“We talked about the meetings, the prep, the bullpen, going three innings, four innings, the postgame treatment with the arm,” Roberts said before the game. “All that stuff matters. So yes, he’s just kind of getting re-acclimated to doing that.
“… He’s still sort of getting adjusted to this lifestyle as far as the day-to-day. I don’t think he’s there yet. I think it’s only going to get better as he gets more time (at it).”
As for now, Ohtani will be a five-inning pitcher at most, and Roberts said some of that involves acknowledging the stress to the body of pitching. “Going forward, we’ll see if that changes,” he said. “But I think, for sure, for the next few turns, I don’t see him getting beyond five.”
And yes, there was a dropoff when he left Wednesday’s game. Justin Wrobleski had plenty of baserunners in his three innings and gave up a run. Alex Vesia gave up the lead in a prolonged eighth inning that featured a key throwing error by rookie Alex Freeland, and trading deadline acquisition Brock Stewart gave up two hits, a walk and hit a batter as the Cardinals padded their lead in the ninth.
Keep in mind that Ohtani was pitching and hitting in Anaheim, too, and it was when he was an Angel that MLB adjusted the designated hitter rule to allow a pitcher – OK, to allow Ohtani – to stay in the game as DH after he’d been removed as a pitcher. Best decision the Lords of Baseball have made in a long time.
But this was pointed out to me, and it makes sense: With the impact Ohtani has had in L.A. and on the game as a whole in a little more than a season and a half – not only on the field but in popularity and economic impact – it might be hard to remember that he was a two-time MVP as an Angel.
And if you’re an Angel fan, would you rather remember or forget?
jalexander@scng.com