Los Angeles Dodgers Star Shohei Ohtani Set To Do Something For First Time Since 2021 Against New York Mets
For the first time in what feels like a baseball eternity, the Los Angeles Dodgers submitted a lineup card on Wednesday that made you do a double-take. There, right next to the name Shohei Ohtani, was just one letter: “P”. No designated hitter. No leadoff spot. Just a pitcher ready to deal against the New York Mets.
If you are wondering why the modern-day Babe Ruth was suddenly confined to a single job description, you are not alone. Let’s break down exactly what led to this rare moment and what it means for the Dodgers moving forward.
The Sinker That Changed the Dodgers’ Lineup
The drama actually started on Monday night. If you were watching, you likely felt the collective gasp of Dodger Stadium when a 94 mph sinker from Mets Starter David Peterson caught Ohtani right in the back of his right shoulder. Ohtani let out a visible howl of pain. While he toughed it out and stayed in the game, the lingering soreness is undeniable.
Since that painful thud, Ohtani has gone a very uncharacteristic 0-for-7 at the plate. Dodgers Manager Dave Roberts, playing the role of a protective parent, decided it was time to take something off his superstar’s plate.
“When he’s hitting, there’s a component that he’s in the cage, getting ready to hit,” Roberts said to the media. “If we can take that off his plate, and just focus on one thing tonight… we just felt it was the best thing for him.”
When Roberts broke the news to Ohtani, the superstar was reportedly a bit surprised, but he completely understood the logic. Still, Roberts couldn’t resist injecting a little humor into the tense situation, joking with reporters, “You can tell Carlos Mendoza he’s an option, though.” Sorry, Mets fans, you probably won’t see him pinch-hit.
Ohtani On the Mound: A Pitcher-Only Mission
So, what happens when you take the bat out of the hands of the most dangerous hitter in baseball? You get a hyper-focused ace. Andrew Friedman, the Dodgers’ president of baseball operations, noted that Ohtani looked like a man on a mission. And history tells us that when Ohtani is on a mission, opposing batters are in for a long, frustrating night.
To put things in perspective, the last time Ohtani started a game as a pitcher without being in the batting lineup was May 28, 2021. That was back before Major League Baseball even instituted the “Ohtani Rule” to keep him in the game as a DH after he finished pitching.
The Mets, who are already struggling with a lackluster .625 OPS, now have to face a guy who currently boasts a 0.00 ERA. Through his first 12 innings across two starts this season, Ohtani has struck out eight batters, issuing a staggeringly low .119 opposing batting average. Even more ridiculous? He rides a streak of 28.2 consecutive innings pitched without allowing an earned run, dating back to last August.
Protecting the On-Base Streak and Looking Ahead
There is a silver lining for fans obsessed with the record books. Because Ohtani is strictly pitching and not taking any official at-bats, his jaw-dropping 48-game on-base streak remains perfectly intact. He currently holds the longest active streak in the majors, having just surpassed the legendary Ron Cey in Dodgers franchise history, as well as breaking Ichiro Suzuki’s record for a Japanese-born player.
With the Dodgers heading to the mile-high altitude of Denver next, giving Ohtani a breather from the batter’s box combined with a scheduled team off-day, makes perfect strategic sense. It keeps his shoulder loose, lets him focus on carving up the Mets lineup, and ensures his bat will be ready to go when they hit the thin air of Coors Field.
For now, we get to sit back and watch Ohtani do something he hasn’t done in nearly half a decade: just pitch. And honestly? That is still better than 99 percent of the baseball things we get to watch on any given night.
For More Great Content
Find Justin on X: https://x.com/jrimp803 and LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-rimpi-11502014a/
