Dodgers' Clayton Kershaw in Awe of Shohei Ohtani On the Mound

Clayton Kershaw has known Shohei Ohtani as an opponent for six years, and as a teammate for roughly one and a half seasons with the Dodgers. Only in the last month have both men shared a spot in the same starting rotation.

So far, Kershaw couldn't be more impressed with what he's seen.

“We all knew that he threw hard,” Kershaw said of Ohtani, via Bill Plunkett of the Southern California News Group. “But he’s got really good stuff. He’s got multiple pitches. He’s got six pitches, seven pitches – I don’t even know how many he’s got. His command – for not pitching for two years – is really good. He doesn’t have too many misses."

To Kershaw's point: Ohtani has found the zone on 42.9 percent of his pitches so far, per FanGraphs, which is roughly league-average. But despite swinging at 73.3 percent of those pitches, he's generated twice as many strikeouts (10) as hits (five) through his first nine innings of work.

Making this all more impressive, Ohtani went nearly two years between mound appearances, from August 2023 until this June. He spent the interim rehabilitating from the second major surgery on his right elbow in five years — and winning the 2024 National League MVP award after a historic season as the Dodgers' designated hitter.

“I guess we shouldn’t be surprised because it’s Shohei," Kershaw told Plunkett. "But it’s been impressive — really impressive.”

Ohtani is effectively working the schedule of a pitcher on a minor league rehabilitation schedule, in the disguise of a major-league opener. His innings-pitched totals in his first five appearances of the season: 1, 1, 2, 2, and 3.

Not only is he doing all of this while serving as the Dodgers' everyday leadoff hitter — shuttling directly from the mound to the batter's box for his first plate appearance of each home game, reversing the process on the road — he's also calling his own pitches.

“That’s a hard thing to do too. I don’t think I could do that,” Kershaw said of calling his own pitches, via Plunkett. “To have that kind of feel for what you want to do – it’s just impressive. I don’t know what else to say.”

It's a far cry from Kershaw's first time facing Ohtani in spring training in 2018. Kershaw struck out Ohtani in a Cactus League game between the Dodgers and Angels. Afterward Kershaw said he "could care less" about the matchup.

"He didn't pick us," Kershaw told reporters in Arizona, referring to Ohtani's decision to sign with the Angels, "so, good luck to him."

What a difference seven years makes.