Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani Was Ready to Pitch Last October, Broadcaster Says

J.P. Hoornstra | Jun 11, 2025

Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (17) warms up before a game against the New York Mets at Dodger Stadium on June 2, 2025. / Jason Parkhurst-Imagn Images

Shohei Ohtani's throwing program caused a bit of a stir prior to Game 5 of the National League Division Series last October.

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The game of catch wasn't unusual. What was unusual was that both Mark Walter and Andrew Friedman, the Dodgers' owner and president of baseball operations, respectively, were standing in foul territory at Dodger Stadium to watch him throw.

To be clear, this is 100% a drill: pic.twitter.com/GRIQCzj0w3

— J.P. Hoornstra (@jphoornstra) October 11, 2024

Ohtani didn't appear in a game last October, but perhaps he could have. The Dodgers didn't need to make a roster move to make room for Ohtani on their pitching staff for the NLDS; he was already on the roster as a DH.

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In an interview last week with Carlos Baerga, Dodgers broadcaster (and former pitcher) Orel Hershiser said Ohtani was ready to pitch in a game.

The Carlos Baerga Show is LIVE! Joined by former Cleveland Indians' starting pitcher @OrelHershiser + Jose Ramirez continues to produce & David Fry makes his long awaited return to the lineup. https://t.co/jc4IrI6j9A

— Carlos Baerga Show (@BaergaShow) June 5, 2025

“I think he was ready to pitch in the 2024 World Series,” Hershiser said of Ohtani.

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Whether or not Ohtani was able to get hitters out in the postseason is something the Dodgers had to decide for themselves. We already know what they decided. (Spoiler alert!) Not only was Ohtani limited to DH duties last fall, he still hasn't taken the mound in a game more than five months later.

In the aftermath of the Dodgers' World Series victory over the New York Yankees, Friedman told reporters (including Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post) how the timeline for Ohtani's throwing program did (or didn't) line up with a return to pitching last October.

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“The big thing for us was figuring out — because absent the baseball calendar and what’s happening and us playing in October, that would have been the time in his rehab progression to start on live [batting practices], kind of like January for healthy pitchers who are getting ready for spring training,” Friedman said. “So the question was, okay, as we’re playing these intense games, do we layer that part on right now? Do we wait? It was much more the question than him actually pitching in these games.”

The question is a different one now. The only thing holding back Ohtani from pitching is not the intensity of the games, or even the readiness of his right arm, but the calendar.

If the Dodgers want him to be an option to pitch in October, four months from now, they might be wary of starting the clock on his season now.

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