Dodgers Catcher Makes Bold Shohei Ohtani Claim After Dominating Mets

The Los Angeles Dodgers were able to complete a sweep of the New York Mets on the back of another strong pitching performance by two-way star Shohei Ohtani (who was only a one-way star on Wednesday).

Ohtani went six innings, allowing one run while striking out 10 batters.

Shohei Ohtani completed 6 innings against the Mets, allowing just 1 run (his first earned run of the year).

6 IP
2 H
1 ER
2 BB
10 K
95 pitches
22 whiffs

He struck out the side in the 6th. He's gone 6 innings in all 3 starts. His season ERA is 0.50.pic.twitter.com/cQ9xEdDabA
— Noah Camras (@noahcamras) April 16, 2026

This performance by Ohtani marked a third straight dominant outing from Ohtani on the mound to open the season. And after the game, catcher Dalton Rushing had some bold words to say about his ace starter.

“Not that he wasn’t already one of the better pitchers in the big leagues now, but I think he’s arguably one of the best now when you give him the opportunity to just solely worry about pitching,” Rushing said. “Everyone knows what he can do with the bat, everyone knows what he can do with the baseball. But being able to separate the two sometimes, it’s honestly better.”

Before the season started, Ohtani had a goal to win the Cy Young award in the National League. This is one honor that the right-handed pitcher hasn't accomplished yet in his career, and so far, the Dodgers have been very supportive of this quest.

If Ohtani were to accomplish this feat, he would become the first-ever Japanese-born player to win the Cy Young award. This goal from Ohtani is a big one, but he has proven over his career that doubting his ability in any regard tends to backfire.

On the year, Ohtani has made three starts for Los Angeles, posting an ERA of 0.50 over 18 innings of work. His start to the season has been special, and if he were to keep up the performance, he would easily be in contention for the the Cy Young award.

Of course, Ohtani will need to stay healthy over the course of the season, and this has been a problem for him over time. The veteran has already had two major surgeries on his elbow in his career, so the Dodgers may try to prioritize extra rest during the year.

Last season, Ohtani made 14 regular-season starts for the Dodgers, pitching 47 innings and registering an ERA of 2.87. Ohtani returned to the mound after his second surgery, and he proved he could still dominate on the mound.

Los Angeles has multiple other options that they can throw out on the mound to help give Ohtani more rest during the season. But the two-way star is one of the stronger competitors in the league, so the Dodgers may need to save him from himself over time.

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