It was Shohei Ohtani’s first appearance on the mound after August 2023. This long-awaited return didn’t exactly go as projected. The two-way phenom labored at his 28 pitch first inning against the San Diego Padres. For the record, Ohtani was expected to throw up to two innings. But that didn’t happen. He ended up throwing just one.

However, the Dodgers were still able to secure a 6-3 win against the Padres. More than the win, the highlight of the night was Ohtani taking over the mound, even though the cracks were visible. He ended the night giving up a run on two hits.

He struck out none and couldn’t issue a walk. His velocity peaked at 100.2 mph. But his command, which was spectacular earlier, seemed to falter this time. Naturally, the Padres made the most of it.

Manager Dave Roberts—the one who went to all lengths to have Ohtani back on the mound—pointed out his crucial lapses after the game. “I thought early on the slider, like in San Diego, was bottomed out at the knees. The fastball was 100 at the top of the zone and then the second time around he started to miss up a little bit.” His pitches lost the edge that was intended. With the Padres’ no. 2 hitter Luis Arraez in the batter’s box, Ohtani threw his fastest pitch of the game at 100.2 mph. Moreover, he also threw fastballs that spiked to 99.1 mph.

With his lapses, the questions then lead to Roberts’ next moves. About Ohtani pitching once a week, he stated, “I think that’s the plan. So you know you’re talking six or seven, eight days, something like that. And you know, we’ll see how he is and whether it’s another one inning the next time or two innings; I don’t know yet. You know, it’s kind of a read-and-react situation.” Ohtani is coming off two major injuries and even though he’s back to his other half of two-way greatness, the Dodgers won’t be rushing it. They will track, test and react in real time.

It’s also uncertain who will follow Ohtani out of the bullpen when he pitches. “We’ll see, we’ll see,” Roberts stated. For Ohtani’s short outings, the Dodgers will need to figure out the structure of the pitching rotation.

His pitching debut after all this while had Roberts evaluating the lapses and the next steps. Well, even Ohtani wasn’t proud of his outing.

Why is Shohei Ohtani unhappy with his pitching debut?

Right after one inning, Shohei Ohtani somehow managed to contribute to the Dodgers both as a pitcher and a hitter. There were lapses with his pitching; however, it was his first step to being a full-time two-way phenom once again.

Even at the plate, he drove in two runs that helped the Dodgers stack the winning odds in their favor. He admitted postgame that he wasn’t satisfied at all with his pitching. “Not quite happy with the overall results,” his translation conveyed.

Further, Ohtani revealed the biggest takeaway he will take from this outing. That is, he feels “good enough” to get going for his next outing. After his first pitch, a 97 mph sinker, got fouled off by Tatis Jr., the inning got really intense. However, Ohtani, being Ohtani, was in his calm demeanor. He managed to escape the inning with only one run allowed.

Overall, as you know, he threw 28 pitches. Out of those, 16 were strikes. Post outing, he recorded a 9.00 EEA. He revealed after the game that his aim was to sit at 95-96 mph. However, he was able to hit harder because of the game’s intensity. His 18 pitches spiked at least 95 mph and 14 reached above 98.

Now, Dodgerland and beyond eagerly await his next outing.