Shohei Ohtani Drops 2-Word Message Following Long Awaited Pitching Debut for LA Dodgers

Shohei Ohtani made his return to pitching and took to the mound for the first time as a Los Angeles Dodgers star on Monday against the San Diego Padres.

Shohei Ohtani Drops 2-Word Message Following Long Awaited Pitching Debut for LA Dodgers

Shohei Ohtani (Image via X/@sportingnews)

After 663 days, Shohei Ohtani was back on the pitching mound. The Japanese international made his long-awaited pitching debut for the Los Angeles Dodgers on Monday. Following the game, he dropped a 2-word message.

Ohtani, the reigning National League MVP, returned to the mound for the first time since 2023. The two-way star suffered an injury in August 2023 that forced him to undergo surgery and kept him away from the mound in the 2024 season.

In the offseason this year, it was anticipated that he would return to his two-way style of playing and pitch again. After weeks of speculations and rumors, the Dodgers on Sunday announced that he would be making his pitching debut for the team on Monday against the San Diego Padres.

In his first outing as a pitcher for the Dodgers, Ohtani pitched only one inning and gave up 1 run and 2 hits. Despite that, he would remind everyone of his talent as he threw several pitches that were over 98 mph. One of his pitch even crossed the three-digit mark with 100.2 mph.

Ohtani would later tie the game in the third inning with an RBI double in the bottom of the third inning. The Dodgers ended up winning the game 6-3 and took the first game of this series against their division rivals.

After the game, the Japanese international would take to his Instagram account to make his feelings known. While sharing a carousel of images from this game, the Dodgers star dropped a two-word message to the world and informed that he was back.

I’m back

MLB analyst urges fans to ’embrace’ two-way star Shohei Ohtani following return to pitching

Shohei Ohtani finally made his pitching debut for the Los Angeles Dodgers on Monday and resumed his two-way status. While several people celebrated his return, there were some who even mocked it, as it lasted just one inning. In the midst of this, an MLB analyst urged the fans to ’embrace’ this moment.

Shohei Ohtani
Shohei Ohtani (Image via Imago)

Ohtani’s two-way style of playing is something that has made him unique compared to the other stars. The game on Monday marked the first time since 2023 that he had played as both the pitcher and the batter.

His rise to stardom has also led to some criticism. Fans have many times slammed the MLB and accused them for ‘bias treatment’ regarding him and his team.

On X, MLB analyst Ben Verlander shared a message for these fans. The former Detroit Tigers star expressed that the fans should ‘marvel’ at what the 4-time MLB All-Star.

You can get mad at all the publicity he’s getting. You can laugh that he gave up a run. But at the end of the day we should all marvel at what Shohei Ohtani is doing. If you love baseball you love what he’s doing. And I’m so happy he’s back. Embrace this while we have it

Shohei Ohtani’s former interpreter Ippei Mizuhara officially started long-term imprisonment hours before player’s pitching debut

On Monday, Shohei Ohtani made his pitching start for the Los Angeles Dodgers since signing with them in December 2023. Just a few hours before his pitching debut, his former interpreter Ippei Mizuhara officially started his long-term imprisonment.

Ippei Mizuhara and Shohei Ohtani
Ippei Mizuhara and Shohei Ohtani (Image via Imago)

In February this year, Mizuhara was sentenced to 57 months in prison for theft of around $17 million from Ohtani. He was arrested in 2024 after reports of him stealing money from his client’s account came out.

The ex-translator of Ohtani would withdraw large amounts of money from Ohtani’s bank account in order to pay off his gambling debts. In an audio clip released by the Department of Justice (DOJ), Mizuhara would impersonate the Dodgers star and attempt a wire transfer of $200,000.

As per reports, his jail time started on Monday, the same day when Ohtani marked his pitching debut for the Dodgers. He is currently been incarcerated in a federal prison in Pennsylvania.

After serving his sentence, he will be deported back to Japan. Following Mizuhara’s arrest, Dodgers Director of Japanese Player Operations and Strategy, Will Ireton, has become the translator for Ohtani.

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