Shohei Ohtani on Tuesday got started on his bid to win a Cy Young Award — just about the only major prize to elude him — with six shutout innings for the Los Angeles Dodgers in his first outing on the mound this season.
At the plate, the two-way superstar went 1 for 3 with two walks and a strikeout in a rainy 4-1 win over the Cleveland Guardians.
The Dodgers have been waiting to see a full-time, two-way version of Ohtani since he joined them on a US$700 million, 10-year deal before the 2024 season.
Photo: AP
He did not pitch that year while recovering from a second major elbow surgery in September 2023 while with the Los Angeles Angels, and last season was 1-1 with a 2.87 ERA and 62 strikeouts in 47 innings over 14 starts. His fastball averaged a career-high 98.4mph.
“Last year, I felt good,” Ohtani said through a translator. “But this year I do feel a lot more loose and easy pitching overall. Looking back at today’s outing specifically, that wasn’t necessarily the case. So that’s something I want to work on, but compared to last season I felt more loose and easy.”
Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts has noticed Ohtani is more critical of himself as a pitcher than a hitter.
Photo: EPA
“He’s never going to be satisfied,” Roberts said. “There’s always something that he can improve on or get better at and that’s what fuels him.”
In Phoenix, Arizona Diamondbacks third baseman Jose Fernandez became just the seventh player since 1900 to hit two homers on his debut, and the second was a go-ahead shot that led the Diamondbacks over the Detroit Tigers 7-5.
“I returned to my days as a kid — just a dream come true,” a smiling Fernandez said through an interpreter.
In a strange twist, two of the seven two-homer debuts have occurred over the past six days. Cleveland phenom Chase DeLauter went deep twice in his first career regular-season game on Thursday last week after making his MLB debut in the playoffs last season.
In Ohio, Oneil Cruz homered twice and Ryan O’Hearn hit a three-run shot as the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Cincinnati Reds 8-3, with the Buccos adding a new celebration prop to the mix — an orange traffic cone.
“We have the home run celebration with the [welding] hood, right?” MLB.com’s Jason Mackey quoted Pittsburgh outfielder Jake Mangum as saying. “But sometimes all you need is a lousy single. We have to have something to celebrate singles, doubles and triples, too.”
The gag started after Fanatics last month began selling a Pirates T-shirt with the phrase “Hoist the Cone,” which baffled fans and players alike, and is believed to have been a misprint intended to read: “Hoist the Colors.”
Mangum told Mackey that he pulled aside an attendant at Great American Ball Park with his odd request.
“I said: ‘Hey man, I know this might sound a little weird, but I need a traffic cone,’” Mangum said. “He looks at me and goes: ‘One second.’ He walks outside the locker room door. Before it closes, he walks back in and goes: ‘Here you go.’”
O’Hearn and Bryan Reynolds went back-to-back in the second inning. Cruz finished with three hits and three RBIs. He also scored three times.
The Reds were held hitless until Jose Trevino singled off reliever Hunter Barco with one out in the seventh. Pirates rookie starter Bubba Chandler tossed 4-1/3 innings with six strikeouts, but also walked six.
Elsewhere, the Philadelphia Phillies topped the Washington Nationals 3-2, the San Francisco Giants defeated the San Diego Padres 9-2, the New York Yankees blanked the Seattle Mariners 5-0, the St Louis Cardinals shut out the New York Mets 3-0, the New York Rangers beat the Baltimore Orioles 8-5, the Los Angeles Angels took out the Chicago Cubs 2-0, the Houston Astros dominated the Boston Red Sox 9-2, the Miami Marlins took down the Chicago White Sox 9-2, the Athletics beat the Atlanta Braves 5-2, the Toronto Blue Jays toppled the Colorado Rockies 5-1 and the Milwaukee Brewers outplayed the Tampa Bay Rays 6-2,
Additional reporting by staff reporter
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