Browsing: Shohei

When Yoshinobu Yamamoto arrived in Glendale, Arizona, for his first spring training with the Dodgers, fresh off signing the largest free-agent contract for a pitcher in MLB history, his new team quickly realized a minor problem.

The issue was not with Yamamoto himself — the then-25-year-old hurler was as good and as generationally talented as advertised — but with his interpreter, Yoshihiro “Hiro†Sonoda.

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Most dedicated Asian-language interpreters in MLB have a baseball background. Giants slugger Jung Hoo-Leeâ€s interpreter, Justin Han, worked for a team in the Korean Baseball Organization (KBO) interpreting for the handful of American players making the cross-Pacific leap. Chicago Cubs All-Star Shota Imanaga has Edwin Stanberry, who played at the Division II level and spent a year playing independent ball. Tomoyuki Suganoâ€s guy, Yuto Sakurai, worked in baseball operations for the Toronto Blue Jays and San Francisco Giants before joining the Orioles.

But Sonoda was a very different story. He had no significant experience in baseball. The listed job history on what appears to be his Linkedin page is oddly scarce and includes only one other vaguely described occupation: “Film Lighting.†The specifics of Sonodaâ€s hiring — organized by Yamamotoâ€s agency, not the Dodgers — are hazy, but a story from Sonodaâ€s alma mater stated that he received the job after an open search.

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Whatever the circumstances, Sonodaâ€s lack of baseball background posed an interesting challenge for the Dodgers†player development group: How could they convey complex concepts to their $325 million player if the linguistic bridge between the two parties was unfamiliar with the very concepts that needed to be conveyed?

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“You’re going through two people,†Dodgers coach Chris Woodward explained to Yahoo Sports. “So the interpreter has got to know just as much as the player, or the interpreter might misinterpret what you’re saying.â€

The solution? Baseball boot camp.

All throughout that spring training, the Dodgers†battalion of ball-knowers put Sonoda through a hardball crash course. Pitching coaches Connor McGuiness and Mark Prior, alongside director of pitching Rob Hill, inundated the intelligent but unprepared former lighting engineer with the intricacies of the sport that now dominated his waking hours.

“We kind of flooded him with a ton of information,†McGuiness told Yahoo Sports back in May. “Starting very basic level, all the way up to pitch data, classifications, getting him the Driveline [certification]. Making him follow [media members] so he can hear basic terminology. We got him to follow Pitching Ninja on Twitter and Lance [Brozdowski] and all these guys that are talking about this stuff. It’s just like, ‘Hey, when you’re taking a dump, like, sit there and watch. How do they talk? What are the words they’re using?â€â€

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Slowly but surely, Sonoda sponged up the material.

That story is but one example of how the Dodgers have crafted an infrastructure that helps Japanese players dealing with significant cultural and linguistic barriers get the most out of their abilities.

The presence of Will Ireton, who serves as the primary interpreter for the other two Japanese Dodgers, two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani and rookie flame-thrower Roki Sasaki, also played a massive role in helping Sonoda and Yamamoto get up to speed.

Ireton joined the Dodgers organization in 2016 as the interpreter for pitcher Kenta Maeda, and he moved into baseball operations in February 2019. He remained behind the scenes in a variety of positions until the start of the 2024 season, when it was discovered that Ohtaniâ€s former interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, had stolen nearly $17 million from the superstar. Since then, Ireton has become best known as the English-speaking worldâ€s conduit to the gameâ€s most important player, but he shoulders numerous other responsibilities as the teamâ€s “director of Japanese player operations and strategy.â€

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“Honestly, it’s been incredibly helpful to have a guy like Will Ireton around, who’s kind of done all of it,” McGuiness said.

Ireton, effectively, is fluent in three languages: English, Japanese and baseball. Thatâ€s why he always accompanies Prior during in-game mound visits with Ohtani, Sasaki and Yamamoto. Heâ€s typically present whenever any of that trio throws bullpens or flatgrounds before games to help ensure that pitch-data information gets relayed effectively. Ireton wears a multitude of hats for the Dodgers: confidante, media consultant, cultural liaison, player development analyst and, of course, interpreter. He has played a significant role in many of the franchiseâ€s maneuvers in the Japanese market, from the onboarding of Ohtani to the recruitment of Sasaki.

The Dodgers have built a unique infrastructure to help their three Japanese superstars thrive in L.A. (Amy Monks/Yahoo Sports)

Ohtani, now in his eighth big-league season, has grown less dependent on Ireton when it comes to interacting with teammates and coaches. Yamamoto, whose sister is an English teacher in Japan, is somewhere in the middle, while Sasaki, still a rookie, remains more reliant on an interpreter.

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Communication has been particularly important with the 23-year-old Sasaki, who, given his age, was much less of a finished product than most of his countrymen when making the leap to MLB. Overflowing with talent, Sasaki underperformed in his final two years in NPB. During his free-agent sweepstakes, he specifically asked interested clubs how they intended to help him recapture his fastball velocity. The Dodgers and their renowned player development apparatus, unsurprisingly, made a strong pitch.

Still, it took some time for Sasaki to build trust in his new employer. The tumultuous nature of his rookie season, which saw him hit the injured list in May due to a shoulder issue, further complicated matters. But L.A.â€s pitching group was intentional about taking a relatively hands-off approach with their new phenom during the first chunk of this year. It is, after all, easier to implement mechanical, strategic changes if the player first experiences failure his own way.

“Any new player that you acquire, it takes a little while to build up trust. We didnâ€t try to push it too early,†Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman told The Athleticâ€s Fabian Ardaya about Sasaki. “We knew that he was a guy that was accustomed to doing things a certain way, and we were going to embrace that.â€

Through the process, the Dodgers trusted their infrastructure — specifically, their ability to navigate a cultural and language barrier to help a pitcher improve. It was something they had accomplished successfully the year prior with Yamamoto, helping him overcome a relatively underwhelming first half during his debut campaign in 2024. And this year, the club also deftly steered Ohtani back to being the frontline arm heâ€d been in Anaheim for so many years.

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So when Sasaki, after a handful of poor Triple-A outings in late August and early September, approached the Dodgers looking for help, the team was willing and able. A week of introspection and video review at the teamâ€s spring training facility with Hill, the pitching director, led to a key mechanical adjustment that unlocked Sasakiâ€s lost velocity and led to his shocking ascension into a playoff game-changer for Los Angeles†undermanned bullpen.

“The goal was to come back fully healthy and just fully ready to pitch again,” Sasaki told reporters via an interpreter during the NLDS. “I was cognizant that there could be that possibility that I may not pitch in the regular season again. There’s been a lot of support staff, coaching staff, the people around me who helped me get to where I am today. So, yes, very grateful for that.â€

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Although Sasaki struggled in NLCS Game 1 against Milwaukee, his overall postseason numbers are fabulous: 7 innings, 1 earned run, 2 hits, 6 strikeouts and, most importantly, just 2 walks. Meanwhile, Yamamoto, who was an All-Star this season, looks like one of the best pitchers on the planet, fresh off the first complete game in the MLB postseason since 2017. And Ohtani, once again fully healthy and overpowering on the mound, has a chance to pitch the Dodgers to an NLCS sweep in Game 4 on Friday at Dodger Stadium.

Itâ€s all a testament to the juggernaut the Dodgers have built.

Yes, the bottomless cache of money helps, but this organization also deserves credit for its ability to get the most out of the players it recruits. The Dodgers are intentional about the environment they foster for their Japanese players, both in the locker room and in their relationships with coaches. After all, Los Angeles’ well-renowned coaches are only as good as their ability to communicate. Thatâ€s the secret sauce. So much of coaching and player development is meeting the players — and their interpreters — where they are.

Even if that place is on the toilet.

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Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani has struggled at the plate recently, but he said his hitting slump is not a result of his pitching duties.

“I don’t necessarily think that the pitching has affected my hitting performance,” Ohtani told reporters through an interpreter. “Just on the pitching side, as long as I control what I can control, I feel pretty good about putting up results. On the hitting side, just the stance, the mechanics, that’s something that I do — it’s a constant work in progress. I don’t necessarily think so. It’s hard to say.”

Ohtani played well in the wild-card round but has since gone 2-for-25 with 12 strikeouts. He snapped a 15-at-bat hitless streak with an RBI single in the seventh inning of Tuesday’s Game 2 win over the Milwaukee Brewers in the NLCS.

Ohtani did not pitch in Game 1 of the NLCS as the Dodgers went instead to Blake Snell. Manager Dave Roberts said before the series that Ohtani would pitch at some point, but he wasn’t sure when.

Roberts said before the series that the pitching plan for Ohtani was not related to his hitting struggles.

“No, not at all,” Roberts said. “I think it was just kind of Shohei’s going to pitch one game this series. So, it’s one game and then you have two other guys that potentially can pitch on regular rest.”

Luckily for the Dodgers, Ohtani’s slump hasn’t hurt them too much thanks to outstanding performances from their starters. Snell gave up just one hit in eight innings in the 2-1 win in Game 1, and Yoshinobu Yamamoto pitched a complete game in Game 2, allowing just three hits and one run.

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At 5:37 p.m. Wednesday, Michael Bubleâ€s “Feeling Good” blared from the Dodger Stadium speakers.

Shohei Ohtani came strolling to the plate with a bat in his hands.

There was no one in the stands, of course. Nor an opposing pitcher on the mound. The Dodgers, on this workout day after returning from Milwaukee, were still some 22 hours away from resuming their National League Championship Series against the Brewers. For any other player, it would have been a routine affair.

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Ohtani, however, is not just any player.

And among the many things that make him unique, his habit of almost never taking batting practice on the field is one of the small but notable ones.

Which made his decision to do so Wednesday a telling development.

Over the last two weeks, Ohtani has been in a slump. Since the start of the NL Division Series, he is just two-for-25 with a whopping 12 strikeouts. He has been smothered by left-handed pitching. He has made poor swing decisions and failed to slug the ball.

Last week, manager Dave Roberts went so far as to say the Dodgers were “not gonna win the World Series with that sort of performance†from their $700-million slugger.

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Thus, out Ohtani came for batting practice on Wednesday in the most visible sign yet of his urgency for a turnaround.

“The other way to say it is that, if I hit, we will win,†Ohtani said in Japanese when asked about Roberts†World Series quote earlier Wednesday afternoon. “I think he thinks that if I hit, we will win. Iâ€d like to do my best to do that.â€

In Roberts†view, Ohtani has already started improving from his woeful NLDS, when he struck out nine times in 18 trips to the plate against a left-handed-heavy Philadelphia Phillies staff that, as president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman emphatically put it, had “the most impressive execution against a hitter I’ve ever seen.â€

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In Game 1 of the NLCS against the Brewers, Ohtani was 0-for-two but walked three times; twice intentionally but another on a more disciplined five-pitch at-bat to lead off the game against left-handed opener Aaron Ashby.

The following night, he went only one-for-five with three more strikeouts, giving him 15 this postseason, second-most in the playoffs. But he did have an RBI single, marking his first run driven in since Game 2 of the NLDS. He followed that with a steal, swiping his first bag of the playoffs. And earlier in the game, he scorched a lineout to right at 115.2 mph, the hardest heâ€d hit a ball since taking Cincinnati Reds pitcher Hunter Greene deep in the teamâ€s postseason opener.

“The first two games in Milwaukee, his at-bats have been fantastic,†Roberts said Wednesday, before heading out to the field and watching Ohtaniâ€s impromptu BP session.

“That’s what I’ve been looking for. That’s what I’m counting on,†he added, while noting the careful approach the Brewers have also taken with the soon-to-be four-time MVP. “You can only take what they give you. So for me, I think he’s in a good spot right now.â€

Shohei Ohtani puts the ball in play in the third inning during Game 4 of the NLDS. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

Ohtaniâ€s overall numbers, of course, continue to suggest otherwise. His .147 postseason batting average is second-worst on the team, ahead of only Andy Pages. His seven-game drought without an extra-base hit is longer than any he endured in the regular season.

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“The first thing I have to do is increase the level of my at-bats,†Ohtani said in Japanese. “Swing at strikes and not swing at balls.â€

On Wednesday, Ohtaniâ€s slump also led to questions about his role as a two-way player, and whether his return to pitching this season (and, this October, doing it for the first time in the playoffs) has contributed to his sudden struggles at the plate.

After all, on days Ohtani pitched this season, he hit .222 with four home runs but 21 strikeouts. On the days immediately following an outing, he batted .147 with two home runs and 10 strikeouts.

His current slump began with a hitless, four-strikeout dud in Game 1 of the NLDS, when he also made a six-inning, three-run start on the mound.

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And in days since, Roberts has acknowledged some likely correlation between Ohtaniâ€s two roles.

“[His offense] hasnâ€t been good when heâ€s pitched,†Roberts said following the NLDS. “Weâ€ve got to think through this and come up with a better game plan.â€

Ohtani, on the other hand, pushed back somewhat on that narrative during Wednesdayâ€s workout, in which he also threw a bullpen session in preparation for his next start in Game 4 of the NLCS on Friday.

While it is “more physically strenuous†to handle both roles, he conceded, he countered that “I donâ€t know if thereâ€s a direct correlation.â€

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“Physically,†he added, “I donâ€t feel like thereâ€s a connection.â€

Instead, Ohtani on Wednesday went about fixing his swing the way any other normal hitter would. He went out on the field for his rare session of batting practice. Of his 32 swings, he sent 14 over the fence, including one that clanked off the roof of the right-field pavilion.

“Certainly, there’s frustration,†Roberts said of how heâ€s seen Ohtani handle his uncharacteristic lack of performance.

But, he added, “that’s expected. I don’t mind it. I like the edge.â€

“He’s obviously a very, very talented player, and we’re counting on him,†Roberts continued. “Heâ€s just a great competitor. He’s very prepared. And thereâ€s still a lot of baseball left.â€

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

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  Bradford DoolittleOct 14, 2025, 06:56 PM ET

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  • MLB writer and analyst for ESPN.com
  • Former NBA writer and analyst for ESPN.com
  • Been with ESPN since 2013

MILWAUKEE — Tyler Glasnow will start Game 3 of the Los Angeles Dodgers’ National League Championship Series against the Milwaukee Brewers, followed by Shohei Ohtani in Game 4.

Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts made the announcement before Tuesday’s Game 2 of the series.

Glasnow last started on Thursday, throwing six scoreless innings in L.A.’s Game 4 clincher of the division series against the Philadelphia Phillies.

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Meanwhile, Ohtani hasn’t pitched since Oct. 4, when he allowed three runs over six innings against the Philadelphia Philies in Game 1 of the NL Division Series. Of course, he has served as the Dodgers’ leadoff hitter and DH in every postseason game since then, and the order of the pitchers back in Los Angeles could allow Ohtani to add another role to his already-bursting résumé.

“Shohei has been fine with rest,” Roberts said. “Potentially lines him up if we need a Game 7 out of the pen.”

Glasnow also has pitched out of the bullpen this October, throwing 1â…” scoreless frames in relief of Ohtani in that start against Cincinnati.

“Game 3, we feel that Tyler is on regular rest, so it kind of lines him up, as well,” Roberts said. “So, just kind of all these things just made sense.”

The Dodgers grabbed a 1-0 lead in the NLCS with a tense 2-1 decision on Monday at American Family Field.

Games 3 and 4 will be played this Thursday and Friday at Dodger Stadium, as the defending champions seek to return to the World Series for the fifth time in the past nine seasons.

The Brewers have not announced their pitching plans for Game 3 or Game 4.

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Entering this weekâ€s National League Championship Series, the Dodgers†pitching plan seemed simple.

After Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Tyler Glasnow started the final two games of the teamâ€s NL Division Series victory over the Philadelphia Phillies, Shohei Ohtani and Blake Snell were next in line for Games 1 and 2 of the NLCS against the Milwaukee Brewers.

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All the Dodgers needed to do was slot Snell in for Game 1 on Monday, making him an option to pitch again on four days†rest in Game 5. Then, they could have Ohtani go in Game 2 on Tuesday, allowing him to pitch before Wednesdayâ€s scheduled off-day (which has been the teamâ€s preference for the two-way star) and be available for another start if the series returns to Milwaukee for Games 6 and 7.

On Sunday, however, manager Dave Roberts announced a different plan.

Snell will indeed go in Game 1, trying to build upon the 1.38 ERA he posted in his first two outings this postseason.

But instead of Ohtani in Game 2, it will be Yamamoto who gets the ball — pushing Ohtaniâ€s next pitching appearance to sometime later this series, Roberts said.

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“We just donâ€t know which day,†Roberts said of when Ohtani will get the ball. “But heâ€ll pitch at some point.â€

That alignment came as a surprise, but also had benefits from the Dodgers†perspective.

Unlike Ohtani, who has gotten at least six days off between every one of his pitching outings since the start of July, Yamamoto has routinely pitched on five days†rest this season. By starting him in Game 2, he can stay on that same schedule to pitch a potential Game 6 — something the Dodgers would have been less comfortable having Ohtani do.

By pushing Ohtani back to at least Game 3, of course, the Dodgers will sacrifice their ability to get him two starts in this series. However, even if he pitches in one of the Dodgers†home games later this week, Ohtani could come out of the bullpen in a potential Game 7 — the kind of relief opportunity the team had hinted at for weeks down the stretch this season.

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Because Ohtani will make just one pitching start in the NLCS, Roberts said itâ€s not as imperative that it come before an off-day, either.

“You have two other guys that potentially can pitch on regular rest,†Roberts said. “So [itâ€s about] how do you get your best pitchers the most innings in a potential seven-game series?â€

Outside of pitching considerations, however, thereâ€s another reason delaying Ohtaniâ€s next pitching outing could also make sense.

In the NLDS, Ohtani went one for 18 at the plate with nine strikeouts. He looked particularly out of sorts in Game 1, when he struck out four times in what was his first career playoff game both hitting and pitching.

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Coming out of the series, Roberts emphasized the need for Ohtani to “recalibrate†at the plate, noting that the team was “not gonna win the World Series with that sort of performance†from its biggest star.

And while Roberts insisted on Sunday that Ohtaniâ€s offensive slump had “no bearing†on the team shuffling its rotation, giving Ohtani two games at the start of the NLCS to focus soley on hitting certainly wonâ€t hurt his efforts to straighten out his swing.

“I expect a different output from Shohei on the offensive side this series,†Roberts said.

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For at the least the next couple days, that will be his only objective.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

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When Shohei Ohtani was asked about his woeful performance at the plate in the Dodgers†National League Division Series against the Philadelphia Phillies last week, he first gave credit to the opposition.

Then, after a series that saw the Phillies counter him with one left-handed pitcher after the next, he was also quick to point out that he wasnâ€t alone.

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“It was pretty difficult for left-handed hitters,†Ohtani said in Japanese amid the Dodgers†clubhouse celebration following their Game 4 victory. “This was also the case for Freddie [Freeman].â€

The Phillies did indeed make life tough on the Dodgers†best lefty bats.

Freeman was only three for 15 in the series, albeit with a key Game 2 double and a .294 on-base-percentage.

Max Muncy was four for nine in the series, but spent most of it waiting on the bench, not getting a start in any of the three contests the Phillies had a southpaw on the mound.

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And as a team, the Dodgers hit just .199 with 41 strikeouts in the four-game series.

However, no oneâ€s struggles were as pronounced as Ohtaniâ€s — the soon-to-be four-time MVP winner, who in the NLDS looked like anything but.

Ohtani struck out in each of his first four at-bats in Game 1. He didnâ€t get his first hit until grounding an RBI single through the infield in the seventh inning of Game 2.

After that, Ohtaniâ€s only other time reaching base safely was when the Phillies intentionally walked him in the seventh inning of Game 4.

His final stat line from the series: One for 18, nine strikeouts and a whole lot of questions about what went wrong.

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Ohtani, who was coming off a three-hit, two-homer wild-card round, did acknowledge Thursday night that “there were at-bats that didnâ€t go the way I thought they would.â€

But, he quickly added: “The opposing pitchers didnâ€t make many mistakes. They pitched wonderfully, in a way thatâ€s worthy for the postseason. There were a lot of games like that for both teams.â€

The real question coming out of the series was about the root cause of Ohtaniâ€s unexpected struggles.

Was it simply because of the tough pitching matchups, having faced a lefty in 12 of his 20 trips to the plate? Or had his faltering approach created more legitimate concerns, the kind that could threaten to continue into the NL Championship Series?

“I think a lot of it actually was driven by the left-handed pitching,†manager Dave Roberts said Saturday, as the Dodgers awaited to face either the Chicago Cubs or Milwaukee Brewers in an NLCS that will begin on Monday.

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However, the manager also put the onus on his $700-million superstar to be better.

“Hoping that he can do a little self-reflecting on that series, and how aggressive he was outside of the strike zone, passive in the zone,†Roberts said. “The at-bat quality needs to get better.â€

For the Dodgers, the implications are stark.

“Weâ€re not gonna win the World Series with that sort of performance,†Roberts continued. “So weâ€re counting on a recalibration, getting back into the strike zone.â€

From the very first at-bat of Game 1 — when he was also the starting pitcher in his first career playoff game as a two-way player — Ohtani struggled to make the right swing decisions.

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He chased three pitches off the inside of the plate from Phillies lefty Cristopher Sánchez, which Roberts felt “kinda set the tone†for his series-long struggles, then took a called third strike the next two times he faced him.

From there, the 31-year-old slugger could never seem to dial back into his approach.

He went down looking again in Game 1 against left-handed reliever Matt Strahm. He led off Game 2 with another strikeout against another lefty in Jesús Luzardo. On and on it went, with Ohtani continuing to chase inside junk, flailing at pitches that darted off the plate the other way, and finding his only reprieve in a rematch with Strahm in Game 2 when he got just enough on an inside sinker.

Roberts†hope was that, moving forward, Ohtani would be able to learn and adjust.

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“Understanding when he faces left-handed pitching, what theyâ€re gonna try to do: Crowd him in, off, spin him away,†Roberts said. “Heâ€s just gotta be better at managing the hitting zone. Iâ€m counting on it. Weâ€re all counting on it.â€

Roberts also conceded that Ohtaniâ€s at-bats on the day he pitched in Game 1 seemed to be especially rushed.

“[When] heâ€s pitching, heâ€s probably trying to conserve energy, not trying to get into at-bats,†Roberts said. “It hasnâ€t been good when heâ€s pitched. I do think thatâ€s part of it. Weâ€ve got to think through this and come up with a better game plan.â€

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After all, while Ohtani might not have been the only struggling hitter in the NLDS, his importance to the lineup is greater than anyoneâ€s. The Dodgers can only endure without him for so long.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

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The Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the Philadelphia Phillies in Game 1 of the NLDS by the final score of 5-3 on Saturday night.

With a runner on third and two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning, Phillies second baseman Bryson Stott hit a fly ball that was caught in foul territory to seal the loss.

Shohei Ohtani made his first career postseason start on the mound for the Dodgers, allowing three hits and three earned runs in six innings of work. He also racked up nine strikeouts compared to just one walk.

While Ohtani went 0-for-4 with four strikeouts at the plate, fans were still impressed with his overall performance.

The road win by the Dodgers was especially impressive considering the Phillies owned a record of 55-26 at Citizens Bank Park during the regular season.

Fans applauded Los Angeles’ effort.

Philadelphia pulled ahead early, taking a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning due to a two-run triple by J.T. Realmuto and a sacrifice fly from Harrison Bader.

The Dodgers cut the deficit to 3-2 following a two-run double by Kiké Hernandez in the top of the sixth inning before taking a lead in the seventh. With runners on first and second, Teoscar Hernández launched a three-run homer to right center.

Philadelphia threatened to score in the eighth inning, loading the bases with two outs. Edmundo Sosa ultimately flied out to end the frame, though.

The Phillies weren’t able to get on the board for the remainder of the contest as Tyler Glasnow, Alex Vesia and RÅki Sasaki combined to pitch three scoreless innings out of the bullpen.

Bryce Harper finished 1-for-4, but Philadelphia’s lineup was only able to muster five hits against Los Angeles.

Now, the Dodgers will look to take a commanding 2-0 series lead in Game 2 on Monday.

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The last time Shohei Ohtani took the mound against the Philadelphia Phillies, it was the first time all year he looked like a true starting pitcher again.

Ohtani, of course, had pitched plenty before that Sept. 16 game at Dodger Stadium, when he spun five no-hit innings against a Phillies team on the verge of a National League East division title. Up to that point, the two-way star had been making starts for the previous three months in his return from a second career Tommy John surgery.

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During that stretch, however, Ohtani was under strict limitations. He pitched only one inning in his first two outings, two innings in the pair after that, and continued a slow, gradual buildup over the ensuing weeks. For many of those early starts, the right-hander didnâ€t even use his full arsenal of pitches, restricting himself to mostly fastballs and sweepers as he tried to hone in on his velocity and sharpen his rusty command.

That was in Ohtani in “rehab mode,†as the Dodgers described it.

The priority remained on protecting his surgically-repaired elbow.

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But then came the meeting with the Phillies, in which Ohtani finally looked ready to turn the page.

He completed five innings for only the second all season. He did so with spectacularly dominant ease over just 68 pitches. He used his full mix, from a fastball that topped at 101.7 mph to a slider that induced a 50% whiff rate to a sinker/cutter/splitter combination that had the ball darting different directions to all quadrants of the plate. He collected five strikeouts and walked only one.

“He was phenomenal,†Phillies manager Rob Thompson recalled. “It was the combination of power, control, command, stuff.â€

Three weeks later, Ohtani is set to square off against the Phillies again, in Game 1 of the National League Division Series at Citizens Bank Park on Saturday night.

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And this time, he wonâ€t be subjected to the workload restrictions that forced him to make an early exit from that previous no-hit bid.

The plan, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Friday, is to “just treat him like a regular pitcher.â€

“This is something we’ve been waiting for all year,†Roberts added, while opening the door for Ohtani to go as many as six or seven innings in what will be his MLB postseason pitching debut. “He’s ready for this moment. So, for me, I’m just going to sit back and watch closely.â€

“I’m sure I’ll be nervous at times,†Ohtani said through interpreter Will Ireton. “But more than that, I’m just really grateful that I get to play baseball at this time of the year.â€

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If it hadnâ€t been for that September start against the Phillies, itâ€s unclear if Ohtani would be pitching with such freedom now.

That night, Roberts removed Ohtani from his no-hit bid because, as he put it after the game, he didnâ€t feel comfortable deviating from the superstar’s prescripted pitching plan.

What Roberts did do in that game, however, was ask Ohtani how he felt after the fifth inning to gather information the Dodgers could use going forward. Ohtani told Roberts he still felt strong. Thus, in his final regular season start a week later in Arizona, the team allowed him for the first time to pitch into the sixth.

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The Dodgers are still trying to be mindful of Ohtaniâ€s two-way burden. He is starting Game 1 of this series (which will be followed by an off day Sunday) because they didnâ€t want to pitch him early in the wild-card round and then have him hit in subsequent days.

But going forward, president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said, the club plans to use Ohtani like “a normal starting pitcher now.†No more pre-determined restrictions. No more overbearing health considerations.

“I’m very glad that I was able to end the rehab progression at that moment,†Ohtani said while reflecting back on the September start that signaled he was ready. “Just being healthy is really important to me, so I’m just grateful for that.â€

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Roster and rotation notes

Roberts said, after Ohtani, Blake Snell would likely start Game 2, with Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Tyler Glasnow lined up for Games 3 and 4, respectively. Glasnow will be available out of the bullpen for Game 1 as well.

Clayton Kershaw will be on the teamâ€s NLDS roster, after being left off for the wild-card round. Roberts said he will pitch in a relief role.

Catcher Will Smith is expected to once again be on the roster as one of three catchers, Roberts said, but his availability to start games remains in question. Though Smithâ€s fractured right hand has healed, he is still in the process of rebuilding strength and stamina after missing the last few weeks. He was scheduled to take live batting practice during the teamâ€s Monday workout.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

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Shohei Ohtani is up first in the NLDS.

Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts confirmed Wednesday that Ohtani will be the starting pitcher in Game 1 of the NLDS on Saturday against the Philadelphia Phillies. The announcement came shortly after the Dodgers closed out the Cincinnati Reds 8-4 in Game 2 of their wild-card series, which sent the Dodgers into the divisional round of the playoffs for the 13th straight season.

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Once Ohtani takes the mound Saturday at Citizens Bank Park, heâ€ll make Major League Baseball history by becoming the first player to start at least one game as a pitcher and one as a non-pitcher in a single postseason, according to MLB.comâ€s Sarah Langs.

It will also mark Ohtaniâ€s MLB postseason pitching debut. He did not pitch last season with the Dodgers while recovering from elbow surgery, and Ohtani did not make the postseason in his six seasons with the Los Angeles Angels.

The Dodgers did not need Ohtani on the mound in their first two games this postseason. Yoshinobu Yamamoto had nine strikeouts and zero earned runs in 6 2/3 innings in his start Wednesday. Blake Snell pitched seven strong innings in the team’s 10-5 win over the Reds in Game 1 on Tuesday.

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Ohtani has slowly ramped up pitching this season after a second surgery in September 2023. He made his debut against the San Diego Padres on June 16, pitching one inning. He has gradually increased his outings on the mound since then, and he pitched six full innings in the teamâ€s 5-4 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks on Sept. 23. He hasnâ€t pitched since.

Ohtani recorded a 2.87 ERA with 62 strikeouts in 47 innings this season. As a hitter, he was almost as dominant as he was last season, when he won NL MVP honors. Ohtani recorded a career-high 55 home runs and 102 RBI this season while recording a slash line of .282/.392/.622. He’s the front-runner to win a second straight MVP award.

The Phillies went 96-66 this season and won the NL East and the league’s No. 2 seed. They trailed only the Milwaukee Brewers in the NL, which gave them a bye out of the wild-card round.

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The Dodgers are the first wild-card team to clinch a spot in the division series this season. There will be three Game 3s across the league on Thursday to wrap up the opening round before the division series starts Saturday.

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LOS ANGELES — Donâ€t expect the Cincinnati Reds to pitch around Shohei Ohtani in Game 2 of their wild-card series against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Manager Terry Francona has too much respect for the former league MVPs who bat second and third in the Dodgers†lineup.

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Asked before Wednesday’s game if heâ€d consider intentionally walking Ohtani, Francona scoffed and said, “Youâ€re kidding, right? Have you heard of Mookie Betts or Freddie Freeman?â€

Francona described Ohtani as “a really dangerous hitter†but also pointed out that the two-way star struck out 187 times during the regular season, third-most in the National League.

“Thatâ€s where we have to get to,†Francona said. “You start walking people in that lineup, and youâ€re asking for trouble.â€

The Reds attacked Ohtani in their 10-5 Game 1 loss to the Dodgers on Tuesday — and while the superstar struck out three times, he also made them pay with a pair of home runs.

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He opened the bottom of the first inning by turning on a 100-mph inside fastball from Reds fireballer Hunter Greene and rocketing a screaming line drive over the right-field wall. Then in the sixth inning, with chants of M-V-P raining down from the upper deck, Ohtani blasted a 454-foot moon shot high into the right-center-field bleachers.

Ohtani piled up 55 home runs and 102 RBI during another MVP-caliber regular season, but even so, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts raved Tuesday about Ohtaniâ€s ability to raise his level in the postseason.

“His focus gets more keen, and the at-bat quality is better,†Roberts said. “Thatâ€s a reason why he signed to be with this ball club, this organization, to play in games like this, to showcase his otherworldly talent. I expect really fun things this postseason out of Shohei.â€

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Before the wild-card series began, Francona also spoke glowingly of Ohtani, calling him a “generational player.â€

“You don’t want to let him get those arms extended,†he said Monday. “You make a mistake, and it goes a long way, a long way.â€

But as much respect as Francona has for Ohtani, he wonâ€t give the Dodgers’ slugger the Barry Bonds treatment.

Said Francona on Wednesday: “I think it would be a very poor decision.â€

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