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Shohei Ohtani made his highly-anticipated pitching debut for the LA Dodgers on Monday night after nearly two years away from the mound.
The two-way phenom had not been able to pitch in Major League Baseball since undergoing Tommy John surgery back in September 2023.
Yet having been given the green light by team medics and his surgeon, Ohtani got back up and running as the Dodgers' starting pitcher against the San Diego Padres.
He allowed two hits and a run from 12 balls and 28 pitches in his first inning, recording 16 strikes, but did not issue walk nor strike out a batter.
Ohtani was not best pleased with one check-swing call during the inning, which kept Padres star Manny Machado alive before he hit a sac fly on the next ball.
Despite not pitching in an MLB game for 22 months, his top fastball velocity was clocked at an impressive 100.2mph.
Shohei Ohtani made his highly-anticipated pitching debut for the LA Dodgers on Monday night
The two-way phenom had not been able to pitch in Major League Baseball since Sep. 2023
Nevertheless, the Japanese sensation's long-awaited return to the mound lasted just one inning as the Dodgers continue to treat their star man's arm with caution.
Following a series of live batting practice sessions before games, the team elected to use him as an opener with the hope of adding an inning every time he takes the mound. He is tentatively scheduled to pitch once a week moving forward.
His fastest pitch was 100.2mph to Padres No. 2 hitter Luis Arraez. He also threw three other fastballs at 99.1 mph.
As the Dodgers' leadoff hitter, he struck out in the first inning before he was replaced on the mound by left-hander Anthony Banda.
Ohtani had not pitched in a game since August 23, 2023, when he got hurt during a start for city rivals the LA Angels against Cincinnati.
In 86 career pitching starts with the Angels from 2018-23, he went 38-19 with a 3.01 ERA and 608 strikeouts in 481 2/3 innings, while being voted American League MVP in 2021 and 2023 for his hitting and pitching exploits.
The 30-year-old first had Tommy John surgery back on October 1, 2018, before undergoing the op for a second time on September 19, 2023 after injuring himself playing for the Angels.
Ohtani allowed two hits and a run from 12 balls and 28 pitches in his first and only inning
The Dodgers are treating him with caution as he continues to work his arm back to full strength
His second Tommy John procedure was performed by renowned sports surgeon Dr. Neal ElAttrache, who Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said would determine the timeline of his comeback in conjunction with the team's training staff.
In the second season of a $700million, 10-year contract with the Dodgers, Ohtani paused his pitching work after a mound session on February 25 to prepare for opening day as a hitter, then started bullpen sessions on March 29 and batting practice on May 25.
A three-time MVP, he is hitting .297 with an NL-leading 1.035 OPS, 25 homers and 41 RBIs after hitting .290 with 54 homers, 130 RBIs and 59 stolen bases in his first Dodgers season last year.
Roberts had said he was excited to see Ohtani pitch in a big league game again before Monday's game against San Diego.
'There's been a lot of anticipation,' he said. 'I think we've done it the right way as far as our process, communicating with Shohei and feeling good. It's good for our team.
'Our guys are excited about this potential. And obviously, most important, I'm excited for Shohei.'
