Shohei Ohtani’s Pitching Returns to Full Strength — The True Two-Way Star Emerges

Praised as the best performance of the year

Six innings, three runs allowed. It wasn’t a perfect performance, but it was Shohei Ohtani’s (31) brightest game on the mound since returning as a pitcher.

After the Dodgers secured two straight wins against the Reds in the Wild Card Series and advanced to the Division Series against the Phillies, manager Dave Roberts (53) entrusted Ohtani with the starting mound for the first game on October 5 (Japan time) on enemy turf.

“He gave up three runs in the second inning but bounced back afterward, preventing the powerful lineup—featuring National League home run leader Kyle Schwarber (32)—from adding any more runs. Completing six innings at Citizens Bank Park, packed with what is said to be the most passionate Phillies fans, and earning his first postseason win shows that pitcher Ohtani has fully returned,” reported a local journalist.

Former major leaguer Keiichi Yabu praised Ohtani’s pitching in this game as the best performance of the year, adding:

“Allowing runs comes with the territory for a pitcher, and it also depends on your teammates’ defense and luck. What’s more important is the quality of the pitching itself. What impressed me most was his pitching against his rival, Schwarber. He consistently threw 100-mph (about 161 km/h) four-seam fastballs inside, forcing Schwarber to react, then struck him out by following up with outside splitters and curves—a masterful display of control over the batter.”

Ohtani’s effective use of the sweeper—a pitch he had avoided throwing frequently during the regular season—also demonstrated the expansion of his pitch selection.

“Sideways-breaking sweepers, downward-falling splitters, diagonally moving curves, and a tremendously powerful fastball—each of his pitches is top-class, and he varies them based on the opponent’s lineup. This is pitching skill he hadn’t mastered before the injury, so it’s proof of his evolution during rehab,” Yabu said.

Roberts has already hinted at Ohtani’s full utilization as a pitcher in the postseason. The true two-way player has finally returned, charging toward a second consecutive world championship.

“With this level of form, he could pitch 20–25 games next season and win 10–15 of them. His batting remains otherworldly, so he might even achieve the historic first of 50 homers and 10 wins. He’s poised to enter an even greater peak,” Yabu added.

How many more historic firsts will Ohtani bring to Major League Baseball from here on out?

From the October 24/31, 2025 issue of “FRIDAY”