Shohei Ohtani officially returned to the mound on Monday night, and while the outing lasted just one inning, it gave a glimpse of why he is considered one of the most remarkable players in baseball history.
Pitching for the first time since undergoing elbow surgery in 2023, fans paid a hefty ticket price to watch Ohtani on the mound. However, the two-way star threw only 28 pitches. He gave up one run on two two-strike hits but also flashed elite stuff, topping out at 100.2 mph on his fastball.
Shohei Ohtani's Dodgers pitching debut is in the books pic.twitter.com/MJxSbuYO6L
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) June 17, 2025
While a few fans expressed optimism about Ohtani’s return to the mound, many were unimpressed with his pitching performance.
“no sho tonight,” one X user wrote.
no sho tonight 😞
— PrizePicks (@PrizePicks) June 17, 2025
“9 ERA. What a bum,” another user trolled.
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no sho tonight 😞
— PrizePicks (@PrizePicks) June 17, 2025
“If you missed it, you didn’t miss anything,” one fan reacted.
If you missed it, you didn't miss anything 🤣🤣
— A Dogs Life (@K9Dirk) June 17, 2025
“Sick…,” another fan commented.
Sick…
— The Nice New Yorker (@Nice_NYer44) June 17, 2025
“this guy should stick to hitting,” another fan replied.
this guy should stick to hitting
— Seppi (@SeppiWorld) June 17, 2025
“played like a**,” one fan commented.
Played like ass
— PointMarte🌵🏜️ (@CactusSunnnn) June 17, 2025
Shohei Ohtani Offsets Pitching Struggles With Dominant Offensive Performance
Ohtani wasn’t done after his one-inning return. At the plate, he made a bigger impact. Hitting leadoff, Ohtani went 2-for-4 with an RBI double in the third and an RBI single in the fourth as part of the Dodgers’ five-run rally. Los Angeles pulled away with a 6-3 win over the Padres at Dodger Stadium.
While the command wasn’t fully there on the mound, the stuff was. “Stuff looked electric… maybe the command isn’t there, and that’s kind of what we saw tonight,” teammate Max Muncy said. Ohtani admitted postgame that adrenaline pushed his velocity higher than expected: “I was aiming to sit 95–96, but the game intensity really allowed me to throw a little harder.”
This outing marks the beginning of Ohtani’s carefully managed pitching schedule, as he is expected to take the bump roughly once a week while still playing as the designated hitter.
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