The long-anticipated wait seems to be practically over — seemingly will pitch this week.
supervisor introduced after that Ohtani “almost definitely” will make his Dodgers pitching debut this week in opposition to the San Diego Padres. He seemingly will probably be an opener, solely pitching for one inning.
“I don’t know which day he’s going to open for us, however there’s a excessive chance he’s going to open for us within the coming days,” Roberts mentioned.
For Ohtani, it’s been a protracted highway again to pitching. He signed with the Dodgers on a earlier than the 2024 season — a worth representing not simply his MVP-level bat, however his potential Cy Younger Award-level pitching.
He underwent , solely hitting in his first season with the Dodgers. He tallied unprecedented numbers on the plate (.310 batting common, league-high 54 house runs, 130 RBI and 59 stolen bases). In latest weeks, Ohtani ramped up his throwing program, a handful of occasions.
Ohtani had been sensible for the , going 38-19 with a 3.01 earned-run common over 86 begins since coming over from Japan earlier than the 2018 season. In 2022, Ohtani posted his finest pitching numbers within the majors, with a 15-9 file, a 2.33 earned-run common and 219 strikeouts over 166 innings en path to inserting fourth in AL Cy Younger Award voting.
It’ll seemingly be an incremental begin for Ohtani when he returns as he appears to be like so as to add extra pitches and innings within the weeks forward.
“He’s getting very keen, getting very excited,” Roberts mentioned earlier than Sunday’s sport. “I believe that there’s some extent the place, in listening to from Shohei, that the hassle that it takes to throw lives and issues like that, [rather] than to play a sport, then let’s use these bullets in a sport. He’s getting very excited.”
Now these proverbial “bullets” will seemingly be used this week at Dodger Stadium.
