Dodgers vs. Guardians Live Updates: Shohei Ohtani Logs Six Scoreless Innings in 2026 Debut

Shohei Ohtani threw six scoreless innings in his 2026 pitching debut against the Guardians. | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Shohei Ohtani will be on the mound for the Dodgers on Tuesday night, set to make his first pitching appearance of the 2026 MLB season. It’s the first time that Ohtani will make a MLB start in March since 2023.

Ohtani didn’t pitch at all in the 2024 season, his first year with the Dodgers, after undergoing UCL surgery in ‘23. He finally returned to the mound in June of last season and made 14 starts, and now he’s intending to be in Los Angeles’s starting rotation for the entire ‘26 campaign.

We’ll be tuning in with live updates from Ohtani’s first start of the new season, as he looks to silence the Guardians lineup and even up the series following Monday night’s loss. First pitch is set for 10:10 p.m. ET from Dodger Stadium.

Game Preview

The Dodgers enter play at 3–1, having swept the Diamondbacks in their season-opening series before losing Monday night against Cleveland, 4–2. The lineup has yet to get going early on into the new campaign, with the likes of Ohtani, Mookie Betts, Kyle Tucker, Freddie Freeman and Teoscar Hernandez all hitting .200 or worse through four games.

Ohtani hasn’t pitched against Cleveland since April of 2022, back when he was still with the Angels.

Ohtani was sharp on the mound last season across 14 starts, striking out 62 batters over 47 innings while issuing just nine walks and logging a 2.87 ERA. He’ll hope to get off to a strong start on the mound this year, up against a Guardians lineup that scored the third-fewest runs in MLB last year.

As for the Guardians, Tanner Bibee is expected to make his second start of the year. He struck out seven while surrendering three runs across five innings in his 2026 debut against the Mariners. Bibee had a 4.24 ERA and made 31 starts last season in Cleveland, striking out 162 batters in 182 2/3 innings.

The Guardians split their season-opening series against Seattle, and could look to secure a series win against the reigning champs if they’re able to pick up another road win on Tuesday night.

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