Shohei Ohtani Slumping Since Birthday as Left Field Fly Balls Hold Key to August Surge

Contributing to the team in different ways despite the slump

Shohei Ohtani, who turned 31, is now facing a trial. Since his birthday on July 5, his batting average has slumped to the .100s (as of July 14, Japan time).

“Ohtani’s batting performance typically peaks in June, but this year, his June average dropped to .265, lower than May. And in July so far, he’s hitting just .186. While he’s leading the league with 32 home runs, he’s not getting many hits.

In particular, his batting average the day after pitching is in the .000s. It’s safe to say that the difficulty of adjusting after returning as a pitcher and the physical fatigue are significantly affecting his hitting,” said a local reporter.

Is the return to two-way play the only reason behind Ohtani’s first “slump” of the season, despite performing at his peak early on? Baseball analyst Takehiko Kobayakawa says, “No.”

“When facing a top hitter like Ohtani, opposing batteries often focus on pitching outside and finishing him off with low breaking balls to avoid giving up extra-base hits. When Ohtani is in poor form, he tends to forcefully pull such pitches, resulting in more groundouts to first or second. This isn’t necessarily due to pitching fatigue — we saw the same pattern last year.

However, even during this slump, Ohtani is still drawing walks. Although his batting average ranks 22nd in the league, his on-base percentage is .382, putting him in the league’s top five. Every player goes through slumps, but the fact that he continues contributing in different ways is exactly what makes Ohtani a true star.”

Meanwhile, Ohtani’s performance as a pitcher has been stellar. He’s appeared in five games so far, pitching nine innings with ten strikeouts and an incredible ERA of 1.00. Improving his batting average may be the final area of growth.

“In May, when he had a monthly average above .300, he was hitting to all fields, not just to right, and producing more line drives and fly balls than grounders. Even his outs were more often fly balls to left rather than groundouts to first — if those start to increase again, it’ll be a sign he’s regaining form.

His flyout to left in his first at-bat on July 14 was a towering hit that could’ve been a home run in another ballpark. As he gradually adjusts his hitting, we can expect him to return to May-level numbers and go on a home run spree in late July through August. Fortunately, he’s pitching well, so mentally he should be able to focus on hitting. Another MVP season is very possible,” the same source adds.

With a brief rest around the July 16 All-Star Game, Ohtani’s bat is expected to catch fire in the second half of the season.

From the August 1, 2025 issue of “FRIDAY”