Shohei Ohtani took the mound for the first time this season on Tuesday night and picked up right where he left off, authoring a gem as the Dodgers notched a 4-1 victory over the Guardians. Ohtani surrendered only one hit over six scoreless innings. The excellent performance pushes his overall scoreless streak on the hill to 22 2/3 innings stretching back to the end of last year. It's yet another astounding feat in a long run of them for the two-way star, and one made even more impressive because there were doubts about how he would respond to his second major elbow surgery.
Ohtani makes every single part of the game look incredibly easy. That continued on Tuesday, with his most stressful moment coming via a sudden realization about a task completely unique to him.
After finishing off the Guardians in the top half of the fifth inning, Ohtani thought about the Dodgers batting lineup and remembered it would be his job to lead off. This led to an urgent detour to the other side of the dugout so he could gear up and get out there.
Shohei Ohtani was heading back to the dugout after finishing his 5th inning as a pitcher and forgot he had to bat leadoff.
— Dodgers Nation (@DodgersNation) April 1, 2026
Even he forgets his greatness at times 😂
pic.twitter.com/LMJvbNbzdi
This doesn't happen to any other pitcher in the game. Only Ohtani does double duty like this. And the Dodgers understand it is well worth the strain it puts on him when his turn in the rotation comes up. Ohtani helped his own cause by going 1-for-3 with two walks in the victory.
Ohtani's pitching return
After taking 2024 to heal from surgery, Ohtani returned to the middle of the diamond for the back end of last year. He posted a 1-1 record and 2.87 ERA in 47 innings of work. He has made it clear that he's aiming to make 25 starts for Los Angeles this season.
Ohtani's slow start
Now, with the caveat that it's only the first day of April, Ohtani has been relatively human at the plate during the young season. The slugger is only 3-for-15 and has not had an extra base hit yet. He is, however, leading the National League in walks drawn with six.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Shohei Ohtani Had a Very Unique Problem During Spectacular Pitching Performance.
