Ohtani’s sharp spring debut
Shohei Ohtani tossed 4.1 scoreless innings for the Dodgers in his spring debut, striking out four and hitting 99.9 mph on the radar gun — Dodgers manager Dave Roberts praised the outing and the club expects multi‑inning early starts. (sports.yahoo.com) (latimes.com)
The outing came against the San Francisco Giants at Camelback Ranch, and Ohtani received a standing ovation as the Dodgers went on to a 5-1 Cactus League win. (mlb.com) He threw 61 pitches — 34 strikes — while allowing one hit, issuing two walks and hitting a batter. (mlb.com) The game was played amid triple‑digit temperatures and was shortened to eight innings because of the heat, and Ohtani served only as a pitcher in that contest rather than as a two‑way player. (mlb.com) The Dodgers have said they want Ohtani stretched out to three to four innings for his first regular‑season start, and the front office expects his first counted start to come during L.A.’s series against the Guardians from March 30 to April 1. (mlb.com) That timeline was enabled by Japan’s early exit from the World Baseball Classic and by Ohtani’s recent preparation work, which included bullpen sessions and a four‑inning simulated live batting practice in Miami. (mlb.com) At the plate for Japan in the WBC, Ohtani went 6‑for‑13 (.462) with three home runs, seven RBIs and a 1.842 OPS, and he did not pitch in the tournament. (usatoday.com)
