Shohei Ohtani Dominates on Mound, Strikes Out Side Against Los Angeles Dodgers' Rivals

Ohtani, who was hoping to get three innings on Saturday against the Giants, fanned the side in the first.

Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Shohei Ohtani (17) throws a pitch against the San Francisco Giants during the first inning at Oracle Park on July 12. | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

Los Angeles Dodgers' standout Shohei Ohtani turned more than a few heads on Saturday afternoon, striking out the side in the first inning against the rival San Francisco Giants.

You can see some of the posts on "X" below:

Oh look, Shohei Ohtani's dealing again 👀pic.twitter.com/L1YP9AHlGv

— DraftKings (@DraftKings) July 12, 2025

Shohei Ohtani strikes out the side in the first inning! pic.twitter.com/2Sq16YDU1G

— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) July 12, 2025

Shohei Ohtani 💯 pic.twitter.com/mFJeFNG8RD

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) July 12, 2025

Ohtani hit 100 mph in the clip above, from @PitchingNinja. Dodgers' manager Dave Roberts was hoping to get three innings from Ohtani on Saturday, who continues to build back from Tommy John surgery that cost him all of the 2024 season on the mound. Because of his importance to the team's lineup, he's unable to step aside for rehab assignments, so he's worked in these "opener" style starts to build his pitch count.

The hope is that he's back and fully ready during the second half of the season so he can be a big-time weapon for the Dodgers in the playoffs. They entered play on Saturday in first place in the National League West by four games over the Giants, despite recently getting swept by the Houston Astros and Milwaukee Brewers.

At the plate, Ohtani continues to put together an MVP-caliber season, as he has 32 homers entering play on Saturday. He's won three MVP awards already, becoming one of only two players in baseball history (Frank Robinson) to win the MVP in both leagues.

The Dodgers and Giants will finish out the first half of the season on Sunday afternoon before departing for the All-Star break. Ohtani will represent the National League as the starting designated hitter in the game, which is Tuesday night.

Related MLB Stories

NO HOME FOR LIVVY? Livvy Dunne, the girlfriend of Paul Skenes, recently tried to buy Babe Ruth's old apartment. So why didn't she get it? CLICK HERE:

THE MIZ MAN: Jacob Misiorowski continues to wow the baseball world, even busting out a 97 MPH slider in his last start. CLICK HERE:

TYING THE IRONMAN: Giancarlo Stanton moved into a tie for 50th on the all-time home run list on Tuesday with his second home run of the season. CLICK HERE: