Shohei Otani: The Power of the New Magic Pitch, “Rainbow Curve” Finally coming into his own as a pitcher!

New Style Means “Full Revival

Shohei Ohtani of the Dodgers (31) has finally made a full recovery as a two-faced pitcher. However, there is something unusual about his pitching.

On August 28 (Japan time), the day he got his first win in 749 days, 23 of the 87 pitches he threw were curves. Until then, Otani’s weapons had been his sweeper, which has a large curve curve, and his split, which falls sharply, so you could say that this was a model change.

On August 28, he pitched five innings and allowed only one run, and on September 6, he pitched three and two-thirds innings and allowed no runs, suggesting that his new style of pitching with the curve is effective. The curveball, which has a velocity difference of more than 30 km/h between the straight and the curveball, is effective because Ohtani has been hitting batters with the “vertical change” of a sweeper and a split. Former Major Leaguer and baseball commentator Keiichi Yabu talks about the “Rainbow Curve,” a new magic pitch that can be broken up into large, slow, and fast pitches.

In his press conference after his first win, Ohtani explained that his curveball and split were in the final stages of development. The fact that he threw his curveball so much in two consecutive games means that his rehabilitation is over and that he is back to full strength as a pitcher. What is surprising is the evolution of the quality of the curve. Prior to his rehabilitation, Ohtani’s curveball was a counting pitch. Recently, however, Ohtani has been using his curve as a decisive pitch. This is because the size of the curve and the power of the pitch have increased.

Clayton Kershaw (37), who is a member of the Dodgers, and current ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto (27) are both pitchers who use their big breaking curve as a weapon. It is possible that Otani sought further change during his rehabilitation and received advice from them.

Ohtani is a very clever pitcher, so he builds his pitches by watching the trajectory of the batter’s swing. The fact that he signs his own pitches with a pitch-com (a device used to electronically transmit signs between pitcher and catcher) is evidence of this. In order to make the most of this pitching technique, it is important to expand the range of his pitches. In this context, he has improved his curveball, which is not inferior to Yamamoto’s and Kershaw’s, into a new winning shot. Not only did he recover from his injury, but he also showed a new evolution.

From now on, Ohtani may change his pitching style from game to game, such as using mainly straight pitches, splits, sweepers, or curves, depending on the reaction of batters, and show us his dominant pitches.

If he can get into this changeable pitching style, his chances of making a successful postseason run and winning the Cy Young Award next season will be high enough.

He is also in great form as a hitter, as he hit No. 47 and No. 48 in succession on September 8. With his new “Rainbow Curve,” he will strive to become the best in the world for the second year in a row.

From the September 26, 2025 issue of FRIDAY