The long-anticipated wait is over — Shohei Ohtani is able to pitch.
The Dodgers introduced after Sunday’s 5-4 win over the Giants that Ohtani will make his Dodgers pitching debut Monday towards the San Diego Padres. He’ll begin, however he doubtless will pitch solely an inning or two.
“It’s very exciting,” mentioned Dodgers supervisor Dave Roberts earlier than the staff introduced Ohtani’s begin. “I think that for me, I’m still a baseball fan first. I really am. The anticipation here for the game is, man, it’s going to be bananas when it happens. There’s been a lot of anticipation. I think we’ve done it the right way as far as kind of our process.”
For Ohtani, it’s been a protracted street again to pitching. He signed with the Dodgers on a 10-year, $700-million contract earlier than the 2024 season — a price representing not simply his MVP-level bat, however his potential Cy Younger Award-level pitching.
He underwent Tommy John surgical procedure in September 2023, solely hitting in his first season with the Dodgers. He tallied unprecedented numbers on the plate (.310 batting common, league-high 54 house runs, 130 RBI and 59 stolen bases). In latest weeks, Ohtani ramped up his throwing program, dealing with dwell hitters a handful of occasions.
Roberts mentioned Ohtani let the staff — and its coaching workers — know he was able to pitch in video games once more.
“Just kind of talking to [pitching coach Mark Prior] and [president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman] and the doctors and medical and just kind of saying, ‘OK, we’ve done the three-inning live, it’s a little taxing or more taxing on my body,’” Roberts mentioned. “You’re at a point of, I don’t know if it’s diminishing returns. But he’s ready to pitch in a major league game. He let us know that.”
Ohtani had been sensible for the Angels, going 38-19 with a 3.01 earned-run common over 86 begins since coming over from Japan earlier than the 2018 season. In 2022, Ohtani posted his finest pitching numbers within the majors, with a 15-9 document, a 2.33 earned-run common and 219 strikeouts over 166 innings en path to putting fourth in AL Cy Younger Award voting.
It’ll doubtless be an incremental begin for Ohtani as he appears so as to add extra pitches and innings within the weeks forward.
“He’s getting very eager, getting very excited,” Roberts mentioned earlier than Sunday’s recreation. “I think that there’s a point where, in hearing from Shohei, that the effort that it takes to throw lives and things like that, [rather] than to play a game, then let’s use those bullets in a game. He’s getting very excited.”
Now these proverbial “bullets” will probably be used Monday night time at Dodger Stadium.
