Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani threw pitches at batting practice ahead of the team’s 3-1 loss to the New York Mets on Sunday. This marked the first time that Ohtani has thrown against hitters since he underwent a procedure to repair his right ulnar collateral ligament in September of 2023.
“I’ve gotten so used to seeing him as a hitter,” said Dodgers manager Dave Roberts before the game. “And so to see him on the mound just solely as a pitcher, it was different and certainly exciting for all of us.”
“He looks good. He looked healthy,” said Dodgers pitching coach Mark Prior. “That’s always the main thing with facing hitters. That he feels confident, his endurance is good, he maintained his stuff. From that standpoint, it was good. Pitch movement-wise, it looked good, too.”
Shohei Ohtani threw 22 pitches in live BP, facing Hyeseong Kim, Dalton Rushing and game planning coach J.T. Watkins. Here’s the end of his first at-bat vs. Kim: pic.twitter.com/Y3UKLFX0QR
— Sonja Chen (@SonjaMChen) May 25, 2025
Ohtani threw 22 pitches across five simulated plate appearances. MLB.com’s Sonja Chen said that he threw fastballs, cutters, sinkers, sweepers, and splitters. His fastball reached a maximum speed of 97 miles per hour.
“I am aware that I do throw a little harder when there is a hitter in the box,” Ohtani said via an interpreter. “I try to keep it 93-94, but I know I was touching six and sevens, which I wanted to not do. But it’s a good sign that I could hit that.”
Shohei Ohtani has not pitched in a live game since August 23rd, 2023, when he faced the Cincinnati Reds as a member of the Los Angeles Angels. During that performance, he recorded a walk, two strikeouts, and zero hits allowed.
“I haven’t thrown in a while, so it was nice to be able to feel like I was a pitcher,” Ohtani said. “I just kind of remembered those days when I used to have a lot of good memories as a pitcher.”
Shotime. pic.twitter.com/uGNMNyiLWM
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) May 25, 2025
It’s far too early to know when Ohtani will be able to return to the pitcher’s mound for a game, but there are high expectations for the three-time MVP.
“If it kind of works out as it should, he’s a top-end starter, and so that’s kind of all of our expectations,” Dave Roberts said.
The Dodgers are in Ohio today, where they will face the Cleveland Guardians to kick off a three-game road stand. The first pitch for that contest is scheduled for 6:10 p.m. EDT.
