Fastball

Shohei Ohtani Poised to Make Los Angeles Dodgers, MLB History in Pitching Debut

For the first time since he signed his $700 million megadeal with the Los Angeles Dodgers, two-way superstar Shohei Othani will take the mound and face the San Diego Padres on Monday.

Sam Connon

Glendale, AZ, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (17) works with Los Angeles Dodgers assistant pitching coach Connor McGuiness (87) during a spring training bullpen session at Camelback Ranch.
Glendale, AZ, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (17) works with Los Angeles Dodgers assistant pitching coach Connor McGuiness (87) during a spring training bullpen session at Camelback Ranch. / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
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Shohei Ohtani made a name for himself as the next coming of Babe Ruth.

The 30-year-old superstar has been slugging at that level ever since joining the Los Angeles Dodgers, but he has yet to take the mound since signing his $700 million contract with the club. That hiatus will end Monday, when Ohtani will start against the San Diego Padres.

Ohtani is 38-19 with a 3.01 ERA, 1.082 WHIP, 11.4 strikeouts per nine innings and a 15.0 WAR in his career as a pitcher, even though 2023 elbow surgery has prevented him from throwing in a game for nearly two years. Adding that kind of production to his .297 batting average, 25 home runs, 73 runs, 11 stolen bases, 1.034 OPS and 3.6 WAR as a designated hitter so far in 2025, and Los Angeles will have a historic two-way player on its hands moving forward.

According to MLB.com's Sarah Langs, Don Drysdale currently has the most home runs in Dodgers history among players who started at least one game on the mound for the team, hitting 29 between 1956 and 1969. The moment Ohtani throws one pitch, his 79 bombs will put him atop the list.

Going beyond the Dodgers' franchise, Ohtani will also be making MLB history by taking the mound.

Langs noted that Ohtani is set to take hold of the top-five spots on the list of the most home runs by a player who started at least one game as a pitcher prior to the All-Star break, since the first All-Star Game in 1933. Ohtani had 33 at the midpoint of the 2021 campaign, 32 at the same mark in 2023, 19 in 2022 and seven in 2018.

At his current pace, Ohtani could have 34 by the time the 2025 Midsummer Classic arrives, which would break his own record.

First pitch between the Dodgers and Padres on Monday is scheduled for 10:10 p.m. ET.

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Sam Connon
SAM CONNON

Sam Connon is a staff writer covering baseball for “Fastball on SI.’’ He previously covered UCLA Athletics for On SI’s All Bruins site, and is a UCLA graduate, with his work there as a sports columnist receiving awards from the College Media Association and Society of Professional Journalists. Connon also wrote for On SI’s New England Patriots site, Patriots Country, and he was on the Patriots and Boston Red Sox beats at Prime Time Sports Talk. Sam lives in Boston.

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