Shohei Ohtani's Comments Should Have Rest of MLB Terrified of Dodgers

Just when the baseball world thought that Los Angeles Dodgers two-way star Shohei Ohtani couldn't get any better, he found a way. Ohtani made his first start as a pitcher this week against the Cleveland Guardians, and completely shut them down.

The right-handed pitcher went six innings against the Guardians, allowing just one hit and zero runs while striking out six batters. Los Angeles went on to win the game, with Ohtani's performance being a potential indication of how he may fare this year as a pitcher.

After the game, Ohtani commented about his outing, looking back on his goals for the season.

“That’s my intention every year – to be a better pitcher, better player,” Ohtani said through his interpreter. “At the end of the year my intention is to be able to look back and say that was a really good pitching season."

Before the year started, Ohtani said that his goal was to go after the Cy Young award in the National League. The star pitcher has very little, if any, restrictions on the mound this season after returning from his second major elbow surgery last year.

Ohtani also mentioned that he feels better as a pitcher this year after allowing the rust to settle last season. These comments from the Dodgers star should scare the rest of baseball, especially because Ohtani was a very effective pitcher a year ago.

“Last year I felt good," Ohtani said. "But this year I do feel a lot more loose and easy pitching overall. Looking back at [Tuesday's] outing specifically, that wasn’t necessarily the case. So that’s something I want to work on. But compared to last season I felt more loose and easy.”

In his return to the mound in 2025, Ohtani made 14 starts for the Dodgers, posting an ERA of 2.87 overall. Ohtani struck out 62 batters over 47 innings of work, and he continued his strong play in the postseason for Los Angeles.

If Ohtani can be even better than he was in 2025, this Dodgers team could fully take off. Los Angeles is already viewed as the favorite to win the World Series, but a dominant Ohtani on the mound makes them even more dangerous — especially come October.

Los Angeles is going for a three-peat, and Ohtani has been a central part in helping the team win the two World Series titles in a row. But after his first start to the season, the rest of baseball may need to watch out for another special season from the two-way star — potentially the best one yet.