Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani hits new benchmark in pitching return

Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Shohei Ohtani. Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

Shohei Ohtani hits new benchmark in pitching return as Dodgers snap season-long loss skid

By Eric Smithling | Last updated Jul 12, 2025 8:08 PM ET

When the Los Angeles Dodgers needed him most, Shohei Ohtani delivered.

The 2024 NL MVP started his fifth game as a pitcher this season on Saturday in a 2-1 win over the San Francisco Giants, halting the Dodgers' seven-game losing streak, their longest since 2017.

As important as it was to get back in the win column, Ohtani's continued progress on the mound is more important in the big picture.

The Dodgers have been extremely careful with Ohtani, who signed a 10-year, $700 million contract in December 2023, in his return to the starting rotation since his first action on June 16.

He pitched one inning in his first two starts, followed by two two-inning outings. On Saturday, Ohtani pitched a season-high three innings, striking out four batters and allowing one hit.

Through five starts, Ohtani has pitched nine innings, allowing one earned run with 10 strikeouts.

Shohei Ohtani through five starts since returning to the mound:

9 IP, 1 ER, 10 K pic.twitter.com/3JRn7b8x5F
— MLB (@MLB) July 12, 2025

He struck out the first three Giants batters he faced on Saturday, getting Mike Yastrzemski and Heliot Ramos out swinging with high four-seam fastballs and Rafael Devers on an 89 mph slider.

3 batters, 3 strikeouts for Shohei Ohtani ⛽️ pic.twitter.com/m8CctcmuUc
— MLB (@MLB) July 12, 2025

Ohtani is batting .278 and leads the NL with 32 home runs, but he might be more valuable to the Dodgers as a pitcher this season.

Los Angeles has been peppered with injuries and have used an MLB-high 16 starting pitchers. Per Baseball Reference, the Dodgers rank 26th in starting pitcher wins above replacement (WAR) at negative-2.6.

Through their first 95 games, Dodgers starters had a 4.30 earned run average (ERA), which ranked 21st. (h/t FanGraphs)

If Los Angeles continues at its current pace with Ohtani's rehab, he'll be pitching into the fifth inning well before the playoffs, when the team (barring a second-half collapse) could potentially face some of the NL's toughest lineups, including the Milwaukee Brewers (55-40), Chicago Cubs (56-39), New York Mets (55-41) and Philadelphia Phillies (54-40)

The Dodgers (57-39) will likely need Ohtani to pitch meaningful, high-stakes innings before the season's over if they're to repeat as World Series champs.

Though five starts, he's given Los Angeles no reason to believe he won't rise to the occasion.

Eric Smithling

Eric Smithling is a writer based in New Orleans, LA, whose byline also appears on Athlon Sports. He has been with Yardbarker since September 2022, primarily covering the NFL and college football, but also the NBA, WNBA, men’s and women’s college basketball, NHL, tennis and golf. He holds a film studies degree from the University of New Orleans

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