One day, I'll throw five innings Ohtani's build-up slower than a turtle, 100 miles without getting sick, somewhere

Jul 06, 2025

One day, I'll throw five innings Ohtani's build-up slower than a turtle, 100 miles without getting sick, somewhere
LA Dodgers Shohei Ohtani starts against the Houston Astros at Dodger Stadium on the 6th (Korea time) and sprays the ball with all his might in the top of the 1st inning. AP Yonhap News



One day, I'll throw five innings Ohtani's build-up slower than a turtle, 100 miles without getting sick, somewhere
Shohei Otani roars with consecutive strikeouts while pitching in the second inning. AFP Yonhap News
LA Dodgers Shohei Ohtani showed off his powerful pitching in his fourth appearance after returning to the mound and neatly blocked two innings.

Ohtani started against the Houston Astros at Dodger Stadium on the 6th (Korea time), giving up one hit in two innings, striking out three, and allowing no runs. However, the Dodgers then allowed Justin Roblesky, who took the mound, to turn the tables and eventually fell to his knees 4-6.

Of the 31 pitches, 21 strikes. His fastball speed of 14 pitches reached a maximum of 100.9 miles (162.4 kilometers) and an average of 97.9 miles. The average was 0.8 miles down from 98.7 miles in the previous three games, but it still spoke more than 100 miles, signaling a return to the powerful fireballer.




One day, I'll throw five innings Ohtani's build-up slower than a turtle, 100 miles without getting sick, somewhere
Shohei Ohtani, who is edifying signs through pitchcom during the first inning. AP Yonhap News
In particular, Ohtani struck out all three batters in the top of the second inning, reminiscent of 2022 when he was a career high as a pitcher.

He threw a 87-mile slider in the seventh pitch from the full count to the low strike zone to induce a swing and miss. He then dragged left-handed batter Victor Caratini to the full count, lowered the 86.4 mile sweeper to the body on the seventh pitch and struck out swinging again. The four-pitch four-pitch fastball was 100.9 miles, the highest speed of the day.

And right-handed batter Yandy Diaz threw an 86.2 mile sweeper low outside on the seventh pitch at the ball count of 1B2S, striking out swinging again. Diaz bullied Ohtani by kicking five consecutive fouls, but he was completely deceived by the ball sweeper.




Ohtani, who took the mound on his birthday for the first time in eight years since entering the Major League, cooked two innings to perfect, recording a season ERA of 1.50, a hit rate of 0.200 and a WHIP of 0.83. He threw six innings, gave up four hits and one walk, and struck out six.

Manager Dave Roberts said after the game, `Otani's pitch, command and pitching are getting better. It's also good that you don't have to try to throw hard. A well-controlled fastball and a breaking ball that pokes every corner are really effective," he said, expressing satisfaction.

Ohtani said "If I can play the way I want, there's nothing special about my birthday. It's the same as any other day."




However, he cannot just take the mound as an opener. It is currently unknown when Ohtani will be able to play five innings as a starting pitcher.

In response, Roberts said, `I think it's definitely possible for Otani to play five or six innings based on his current condition and his future schedule. I don't know when that will be, but we can see that there is a natural progression that will get to that point."

One day, I'll throw five innings Ohtani's build-up slower than a turtle, 100 miles without getting sick, somewhere
Shohei Otani is expected to play three innings in his next appearance. AFP Yonhap News
On the starting pitcher build-up, Ohtani said "It's important to take one step at a time when it comes to rehabilitation. There will be time to throw another inning. But it's really important not to take unnecessary risks, to be sure that it's steadily getting better, he said, showing caution about increasing the innings.

Ohtani, who pitched one inning in the first two games of his return to the mound and two innings in his third and fourth innings, is expected to take the mound in an away game against the San Francisco Giants on the 12th or 13th and play about three innings based on 35 to 40 pitches. The Dodgers can also reduce bullpen consumption only when Ohtani becomes a pitcher in five innings.

Meanwhile, with Tyler Glasnow, one of the 「Big 3" on the injured list (IL), announcing his imminent return to the big league by playing four ⅓ innings in Triple-A rehabilitation on the 4th, Roberts is expected to decide his return to the home game against the Milwaukee Brewers on the 10th or the away game against San Francisco on the 12th.

In that case, the Dodgers rotation will be enriched with Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Clayton Kershaw, Dustin May, Glasnow, Ohtani, Emin Sheehan, Ben Kasparriers, Roblesky, etc. Among them, Casparius and Roblesky are likely to move to Relief.





This article was translated by Naver AI translator.