How to watch Padres at Dodgers: Shohei Ohtani makes anticipated pitching debut for LA
It's been a long time coming, but baseball's biggest star is heading back to the mound. Nearly two years after his last MLB start, Shohei Ohtani will make his Los Angeles Dodgers pitching debut in the club's series opener against the San Diego Padres on Monday night.
When we last saw Ohtani, the pitcher, he was playing for the neighboring Los Angeles Angels and compiling an extensive list of 'firsts' as one of the most dominant two-way players in the game's storied history. Over his last three seasons with the Angels, Ohtani went 34-16 with a 2.84 ERA, finishing fourth in AL Cy Young voting in 2022 and earning unanimous AL MVP honors in 2021 and 2023.
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Injuries have prevented Ohtani from pitching since he joined the Dodgers ahead of the 2024 campaign, but he still made a monumental impact in his first year, scoring an MLB-best 134 runs, earning his third unanimous MVP (this time in the NL), and guiding the organization to its eighth World Series title. He's maintained his remarkable value as a batter in 2025, hammering an NL-high 25 home runs and slashing .297/.393/.642 over 70 games.
On Monday night, Ohtani will get the opportunity to showcase his rare two-way talent against a division rival — if only briefly. He's expected to pitch one inning before occupying the leadoff spot opposite Padres righty Dylan Cease, so fans expecting Ohtani to put together a dazzling box score should temper their expectations.
Nonetheless, Los Angeles needs Ohtani to be at his best in both regards. The defending champions have split their last 28 games following a 29-15 start and are clinging to a two-game and three-game lead over San Francisco and San Diego, respectively, in the NL West. The Dodgers won two of three games against the Padres in last week's series, but were blown out in Cease's start. They fell 11-1 as the 29-year-old struck out 11, including Ohtani, over seven scoreless innings.
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(Photo of Shohei Ohtani: William Navarro / Imagn Images)
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