Ohtani’s first Dodgers start
Shohei Ohtani opened spring for the Dodgers with four scoreless innings and four strikeouts in his first start for L.A., signaling he’s settling into his new two-way role. The outing drew big attention as a tune-up for both his pitching and hitting value with the club (youtube.com).
Ohtani’s first spring pitching appearance for the Dodgers came March 18, 2026 at Camelback Ranch against the San Francisco Giants. (mlb.com) He threw 61 pitches with 34 strikes, touched a top velocity of 99.9 mph and was credited with one hit allowed, two walks and a hit batsman. (mlb.com) The outing followed his return from Team Japan duty at the World Baseball Classic, where Japan was eliminated by Venezuela in the quarterfinals on March 15, 2026. (mlb.com) Manager Dave Roberts had targeted a three‑to‑four‑inning tune‑up for Ohtani in spring, and teammates/club officials noted the plan to build his workload carefully before the regular season. (si.com) Ohtani drew a standing ovation as he exited Wednesday’s game, which the Dodgers won 5‑1, and team media noted his stuff looked sharper as he ramps up. (mlb.com) With Opening Day set for March 26, 2026, the Dodgers have roughly a week to schedule one or two more tune‑up appearances for Ohtani before the regular‑season rotation and lineup are finalized. (mlb.com)
