Doesn't Tomi John lose his ball power if he gets surgery? Baltimore coach questions Ohtani mystery 100 miles long

Sep 08, 2025

Doesn't Tomi John lose his ball power if he gets surgery? Baltimore coach questions Ohtani mystery 100 miles long
LA Dodgers Shohei Ohtani is on his way down the mound after being replaced during pitching in the fourth inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park in Camden Yards on the 6th (Korea time). AFP Yonhap News



Doesn't Tomi John lose his ball power if he gets surgery? Baltimore coach questions Ohtani mystery 100 miles long
Tony Mansolino, Baltimore interim director. ImagesYonhap News
LA Dodgers 'Pitcher' Shohei Ohtani threw a total of 106 fastballs over 100 miles after entering the Major League. It is only 3.3 percent of the 3,225 fastballs (four-seam fastballs) and sinkers (two-seam) thrown, so it can be said to be insignificant in a way.

However, if you look at the pitching speed this season, the story is different. Of the 259 fastballs and sinkers he distributed this year, 31 are over 100 miles, or 12.0% of them. In particular, he shot four of his career speed top 10 this season.

On June 29, when he caught Vinny Passquantino on a double play at second base in the bottom of the first inning against the Kansas City Royals, he threw a career-high 101.7 miles. And 101.5 miles thrown to Emmanuel Rivera in the bottom of the fourth inning against the Baltimore Orioles on the 6th was the second fastest speed, and 11 fastballs over 100 miles, including this, were his most in a game.




Tyler Glasnow, who was originally supposed to start, complained of back pain just before the game, so Ohtani took the mound voluntarily, but he was in his best condition. Originally, he was scheduled to take the mound against the Pittsburgh Pirates on the 4th, but canceled it due to coughing and cold symptoms, and decided to play against the Colorado Rockies on the 9th, but took the mound against Baltimore on the same day.

Doesn't Tomi John lose his ball power if he gets surgery? Baltimore coach questions Ohtani mystery 100 miles long
LA Dodgers Shohei Ohtani is spraying the ball vigorously against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park in Camden Yards on the 6th (Korea time). AFP Yonhap News
Doesn't Tomi John lose his ball power if he gets surgery? Baltimore coach questions Ohtani mystery 100 miles long
LA Dodgers pitcher Shohei Ohtani. ImagesYonhap News
In other words, Ohtani returned from elbow surgery, and his velocity was accelerated. Ohtani underwent his first Tommy John Surgery (TJS) on his right elbow in October 2018 when he was with the Los Angeles Angels, and underwent the same surgery for the second time five years later, in September 2023. And after a year and nine months of pitching rehabilitation, he returned to the mound in mid-June and is spraying a fiery fastball. It is very rare that the restraint became so fast after two TJSs.

His average fastball speed this season is 98.3 miles, which is also a career high. It was a whopping one mile faster than the 97.3 miles he had in 2022, when he showed off his best pitching as a pitcher. The share of fastballs is 35.9% this year, not much different from 2022 (37.4%) and 2023 (32.9%).




Baltimore's interim manager Tony Mansolino, who watched Ohtani's pitching on the 6th, said, `This is the first time I've watched Ohtani return as a pitcher and throw up close.' `As far as I know, his ball power will drop when he returns after receiving TJS, but he wasn't like that at all. The ball was very tricky."

This year's fastball hit rate is 0.220, which is also a top-class level. In other words, the ball itself has risen to normal. The rate of inducement of swing and miss for fastballs was 24.8%, up from 20.7% in 2022. The XWOBA (adjusted on-base percentage) of fastballs also improved significantly from 0.342 in 2022 to 0.270 this season.

There are not many cases of successful rehabilitation after receiving the second TJS. Among the active pitchers are Texas Rangers Nathan Ivaldi and Chicago Cubs James Tyyon.




Doesn't Tomi John lose his ball power if he gets surgery? Baltimore coach questions Ohtani mystery 100 miles long
LA Dodgers Shohei Ohtani threw a fastball of more than 100 miles against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park in Camden Yards on the 6th (Korea time), his most in a game of 11. AFP Yonhap News
Moreover, Ohtani played only as a designated hitter last year and only rehabilitated as a pitcher, but injured his left shoulder while stealing second base in the second game of the World Series against the New York Yankees in late October, and even underwent a suture surgery. Originally, his plan to join the rotation in time for the opening of this season went wrong, and he had to focus on rehabilitation until mid-June.

For this reason, the Dodgers proceeded very carefully with Ohtani's rehabilitation process. After returning, he adjusted to the actual game by increasing the number of pitching innings to two games in one inning, two games in two innings, two games in three innings, and three games in four innings. And he pitched five innings for the first time against the Cincinnati Reds on the 28th of last month, becoming a winning pitcher.

The speed of his arrest may be thanks to the Dodgers team, which managed Ohtani's physical condition in detail 'Pitcher', but Ohtani himself can guess how to manage his body. The reason may be that innate 'hardware' is the reason.

If you look at the speed of the fastball, you can't help but say 'Otani Mystery'. There are growing calls that he should take over the back door of the Dodgers, whose bullpen collapsed. However, the Dodgers have not discussed it seriously yet.





This article was translated by Naver AI translator.