Shohei Ohtani Strikes Out 10 in Pitching-Only Showcase

Shohei Ohtani just reminded the baseball world that even when he's not doing everything, he's still doing the extraordinary.

The Los Angeles Dodgers' two-way sensation took the mound Wednesday night without his usual turn at bat, and responded with a career-best 22 swing-and-misses against the New York Mets. He struck out 10 batters and allowed just one run across six innings in the Dodgers' 8-2 victory.

It was the first time since 2021 that Ohtani pitched without also hitting in the lineup. The reason was simple: he's still recovering from getting plunked on his right shoulder by a pitch on Monday.

Manager Dave Roberts made the call to rest Ohtani's bat, and the results spoke volumes. "It was really good to watch him just focus on one thing," Roberts said. "Just channeling all that energy into pitching was helpful."

Ohtani struck out the side in the sixth inning on just 14 pitches. When the Mets scored their only run in the fifth, he reached back for even more, touching 100 mph on the radar gun after cruising at 98 all night.

The best part? Ohtani didn't seem bothered by the change. "In between innings felt a little longer than normal," he said with characteristic understatement. "I had pretty productive time being able to spend time on the game-planning side of things."

Why This Inspires

Dalton Rushing, who replaced Ohtani as designated hitter, blasted a grand slam in the eighth inning. Before the game, Ohtani told him to hit a homer for him. "I guess it worked out in the end," Rushing said with a laugh.

When asked if he'd consider being a one-way player again, Ohtani smiled and joked, "Yeah, totally. We have a really good DH hit today, so I'm very open to that."

Roberts expects Ohtani back to his usual two-way duties in his next start, though he's keeping the door open for strategic rest days. After all, when your best player can dominate doing half his job, imagine what he'll do when he's back to doing both.

The victory extended the Mets' losing streak to seven games, but for Dodgers fans, it was another reminder of why Ohtani remains baseball's most captivating player.