Shohei Ohtani Just Reminded Everyone Why He's One of the Greatest to Ever Do It
Shohei Ohtani Just Reminded Everyone
Why He's One of the Greatest to Ever Do It
A leadoff homer on the first pitch of the game. Five scoreless innings. A rivalry clincher. Ohtani returned to two-way duty Wednesday night and made it look embarrassingly easy — while making history in the process.
What Happened Wednesday Night
The Dodgers were playing a rubber match in San Diego against their bitter rivals, and Ohtani was in the lineup on his start day for the first time in nearly a month. A teammate in the bullpen made a prediction before first pitch: "He's going to do some superstar stuff today."
He was right. Ohtani stepped in against the first Padres pitcher and deposited the ball over the fence. Leadoff homer. First pitch. His team hadn't taken a single other at-bat. Then he went out to the mound and threw five scoreless innings, dropping his ERA to 0.73 in the process.
It was his shortest start of the season at 88 pitches — but it still moved the Dodgers 1½ games clear of San Diego in the NL West. And Ohtani himself acknowledged the start "wasn't great" from a process standpoint. Somehow, a sub-1.00 ERA and a leadoff blast in a rivalry game is an "off night" for this man.
Historic context: Before Ohtani, no pitcher in MLB history had ever hit a leadoff home run in a regular season game while also serving as the starting pitcher. Not Babe Ruth. Not anyone. Ohtani has now done it twice — the first came in Game 4 of last year's NLCS.
Should the Dodgers Keep Running Him on Start Days?
This is the most interesting roster management question in baseball right now. Dave Roberts had kept Ohtani out of the lineup on his previous three start days, trying to protect a $700M investment. The logic made sense — until Wednesday blew it up.
Here's the real kicker: the Dodgers now believe the physical toll of pitching hits harder the day after a start, not the day of. If that's true, benching Ohtani during his starts isn't saving his legs — it's just costing the lineup its best bat for no real physical benefit.
- Historic production when he does both
- Fatigue hits the day after anyway
- Best lineup needs its best bat
- Ohtani says he can compartmentalize
- Wednesday's results speak for themselves
- $700M investment needs protecting
- Shortest start of the season came Wednesday
- Long-term health over May results
- Offense is already down this year
- Ohtani said the process "wasn't great"
The tiebreaker? Wednesday itself. The Dodgers got a leadoff homer, five scoreless innings, and a series win in their fiercest rivalry. You can't look at that output and argue the workload is hurting him.
Ohtani on compartmentalizing: "I do compartmentalize the hitting and pitching portions. At least that's my intention." He's aware of the noise. He uses it as motivation. Dave Roberts confirmed it: "I think he's very mindful of everything that's said about him, and at times he uses that as motivation to prove people wrong."
Where He Stands vs. History
His offensive numbers are down this year — he'd be the first to admit it. But the pitching side of his ledger is on pace for the best season of his career. A WHIP under 0.82 and a 10.2 K/9 aren't just good — they're historically elite for any pitcher, let alone one who bats leadoff and hit a homer before throwing his first pitch.
The GOAT Conversation Has One Answer Right Now
Let's be real: nobody in baseball history has ever done what Shohei Ohtani does. Nobody even attempts it. Four MVPs, a Hall of Fame trajectory, and now the only pitcher to ever hit a regular-season leadoff home run. The résumé is absurd.
Yes, his offense has dipped. Yes, Wednesday was his shortest start of the season. None of it matters when you zoom out. The man is 31, in his prime, playing at a level the sport has never seen — and he just proved on a national stage that the "can he handle both?" conversation is still a waste of breath.
Run him. Let him cook. The Dodgers didn't build the most expensive roster in baseball history to play it safe in May.
Ohtani's offense is down this year — but his pitching is on pace for the best season of his career. Can he sustain a sub-1.00 ERA into October while also rediscovering his swing? Or does the Dodgers' roster management become a bigger story by August?
Drop your take in the comments.