Shohei Ohtani hits first-pitch leadoff HR, then lowers ERA to MLB-best 0.73
In a precautionary move to take the load off their superstar, the Los Angeles Dodgers kept Shohei Ohtani out of the lineup for his three previous starts as a pitcher. They decided to make him a true two-way player again Wednesday.
They were rewarded.
Ohtani homered on the first pitch of a game that would decide the NL West leader going into the weekend. It was his eighth home run of the year and his sixth career first-pitch leadoff homer. Padres center fielder Jackson Merrill appeared close to snagging it, but the 405-foot blast made it into the seats.
Ohtani didn’t do much as a hitter after that, going 1-for-4 with the homer and a walk. He did plenty as a pitcher, though, throwing 5 scoreless innings with 3 hits, 2 walks and 4 strikeouts.
The 4-0 win improved the Dodgers’ record to 31-19, 1.5 games ahead of the Padres for the NL West lead, and gave them a series win in San Diego after dropping the opener Monday then bouncing back Tuesday.
Ohtani’s ERA is now 0.73, which would be the lowest mark in MLB if he had enough innings to qualify. However, he’s at only 49 innings, and the Dodgers have played 50 games. His ERA is half the mark of the current MLB leader, though (Cam Schlittler, 1.50).
Even if he remains healthy all season, qualifying for the ERA title will be an uphill battle for Ohtani. The Dodgers have pitched him on fewer than six days’ rest on only one start all season, and the priority is clearly making sure he’s ready to pitch in the postseason.
Of course, Ohtani doesn’t need to reach the qualification threshold to win his first career Cy Young Award. It is borderline impossible to maintain a 0.73 ERA (Statcast’s xERA predictor has him at a still very good 2.33), but even a step back would still keep Ohtani in elite territory.
Before Wednesday, Ohtani had posted at least six innings in all of his starts on the mound. He still has yet to allow more than two earned runs in a single start. His ERA hasn’t gone above 1.00 all season.
Per MLB.com’s Sarah Langs, Ohtani’s ERA is also the seventh-lowest in MLB history through eight starts. We can assume he’s hit more homers than the six pitchers ahead of him combined.
There had been some concern about Ohtani’s bat, hence his days off on offense while pitching, but even that appears to be turning around. He’s 13-for-27 over his past eight games, with 4 doubles, a triple and 2 homers.
He’s now slashing .272/.399/.486, which is above average across the board but still below his standards since joining the Dodgers. For now.
