Dodgers Have MLB's No. 1 Pitcher Right Now in Shohei Ohtani

We're witnessing greatness from Shohei Ohtani right now.

While he suffered his first loss of the season on the mound on Tuesday for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Ohtani allowed just one earned run and now has a 0.60 ERA on the season. That is the best mark in baseball. The closest starter to Ohtani right now is José Soriano of the Los Angeles Angels, who has a 0.84 ERA in seven starts. Ohtani's Dodgers teammate, Justin Wrobleski, is the closest to him in the National League with a 1.50 ERA in five starts.

Ohtani has been so good that he now has the fifth-best ERA all-time through five starts for Los Angeles, per MLB's Sarah Langs.

Shohei Ohtani Is On Another Level

Apr 28, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Shohei Ohtani (17) reacts as a foul ball goes into the Miami Marlins dugout in the sixth inning at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Imagesd | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

"Lowest ERA in first 5 starts of a season, Dodgers since ER official in NL (1912): 1981 Fernando Valenzuela: 0.20, 1985 Fernando Valenzuela: 0.21, 1972 Don Sutton: 0.42, 1926 Jesse Petty: 0.57, 2026 Shohei Ohtani: 0.60," Langs wrote.

With the way that Ohtani is pitching, he should be the clear favorite for the National League Cy Young Award. Ohtani is 2-1 on the season with a league-best 0.60 ERA and has a 34-to-9 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 30 innings pitched on the season. Right now, there isn't a starter having more success in the National League than Ohtani. While this is the case, MLB.com shared a poll on Wednesday with Ohtani currently in the No. 3 spot for the NL Cy Young Award with Paul Skenes of the Pittsburgh Pirates at No. 1 and Nolan McLean of the New York Mets at No. 2.

Skenes is incredible, so it's not shocking that he's on top of the list right now. He has a 2.48 ERA in six starts to go along with a 30-to-7 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 29 innings pitched. Since allowing five earned runs in 2/3 of an inning on Opening Day, Skenes has a 0.95 ERA in his last five starts. Ohtani arguably should be ahead of Skenes right now, but the Pirates ace is worthy.

McLean has been very solid for New York, but should not be ahead of Ohtani. He has a 1-2 record and 2.55 ERA in six starts to go along with a 45-to-10 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 35 1/3 innings pitched. Again, very solid, but Ohtani has a 0.60 ERA in just 5 1/3 fewer innings. McLean looks like he's going to be good for a long time, but he's not pitching better than Ohtani.

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