Shohei Ohtani, the two-fisted pitcher again! New Pitching Form” is “Stiff Arm” and “Technique

Changes in Ohtani’s Pitching Style

What does it mean that the no-windup pitching style creates a sense of rhythm and timing? Former major leaguer Keiichi Yabu explains.

In the majors, there is a rule that the pitching motion must begin within 15 seconds with no runners on base and within 18 seconds with a runner on base. In the set position, the ball must be thrown immediately after the left foot is raised, but in the no-win situation, the pitching motion is considered to have started when the left foot is pulled back, giving a slight margin of time. This difference in rhythm and timing of release lightens the load on the shoulders and elbows over the course of a season.

In addition, because the pitcher takes a step back before throwing, he can easily gain momentum by shifting his weight, allowing him to throw his fastball with less power than in the set position.

Yamamoto, who is a smaller pitcher than his teammate in the Majors, can throw a straight fastball over 155 km/h thanks to his no-windup pitching style.

There are other hints of Ohtani’s change in pitching style as well: In his third bullpen session on February 23, Ohtani carefully tested his two-seam and cut ball.

The sweeper and the split, which are Ohtani’s weapons and the source of his high strikeout rate, have a large amount of variation, but they put a lot of stress on his elbows and can easily lead to injuries. However, the two-seam and cut ball are pitches that have a trajectory similar to a straight ball but have a small bend in the hand, so it is easy to aim for a ground ball out. There is the “stiff-arm” form, which takes time to drive the ball and get strikeouts with big changes, and the “skillful” form, which uses fine changes like Hiroki Kuroda (50) in his prime and wins with a small number of pitches to produce a lot of ground balls. If he can use both of these forms, he can aim for 10 wins even if he returns to pitching in May or later.

Otani has been training at camp with a fitter body than last year in preparation for his return to pitching. He himself commented, “I want to constantly seek changes within myself. At last, the two-fisted pitcher of the world will return. The evolved Ohtani will dominate the majors this season in both pitching and hitting.

From the March 14-21, 2025 issue of FRIDAY