Baseball: Shohei Ohtani solid in practice as pitching comeback progresses
KYODO NEWS - 4 hours ago - 13:22 | Sports, All
Shohei Ohtani struck out six in three simulated innings Tuesday as the Los Angeles Dodgers two-way star took another step toward his pitching comeback.
Ohtani, kept off the Major League Baseball mound since he underwent right elbow surgery while with the Los Angeles Angels in September 2023, faced minor-league batters 11 times during a 44-pitch outing at Petco Park before the Dodgers' game against the San Diego Padres.
Manager Dave Roberts said there is a "north of zero" chance of Ohtani returning as a pitcher before the All-Star break and added "It's tempting," according to MLB.com.
The reigning National League MVP issued a walk but gave up no drives that would have likely been hits in his third live batting practice since the surgery, with his fastest pitch clocked at 96 miles per hour, according to a member of the Dodgers staff.
Padres right-hander Yu Darvish watched on as his Japanese compatriot struck out a batter from a set position and used all his pitches, including sliders.
"From pitch to pitch, I thought he was in command the whole time today," Dodgers pitching coach Mark Prior said. "We were just sitting back and watching and there wasn't a whole lot to say. He was doing whatever he wanted with the baseball, with every pitch he wanted to."
"He's trying to get into the 60-70 pitch range, then he can start envisioning and dreaming about being in the game because then he knows that he has the volume under him to go out there and at least take down multiple innings."
Related coverage:
Baseball: Yamamoto throws 6 shutout frames, but Dodgers fall to Cards
Baseball: Shohei Ohtani 1st multiple monthly award winner in both leagues
Baseball: Dodgers ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto roughed up by Yankees
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Kyodo News
an hour ago
- Kyodo News
Football: Urawa to represent J-League at revamped Club World Cup
KYODO NEWS - 14 hours ago - 10:01 | Sports, All Urawa Reds will fly the flag as Japan's sole representative at the new 32-team Club World Cup kicking off Saturday in the United States, where hefty bonuses await the winner of each match, let alone the entire month-long tournament. Earning entry via their 2022-23 Asian Champions League triumph, Reds fittingly became Japan's inaugural entry in the overhauled event as winners of three continental titles, more than any other Japanese club. Qualification has already earned them $9.55 million and any group-stage win will net a further $2 million, with that amount to be split between the two sides in the event of a draw. The prize-money balloons from the round of 16 onward, with the eventual winners pocketing some $125 million in total. The competition will feature continental champions from 2021 to 2024, as well as teams with a high standing in their respective confederations' club rankings during the period, with a maximum of two clubs from any country. "The 32 best club teams in the world will determine, for the first time in history, which club, which team, is the best," FIFA President Gianni Infantino said. The tournament's addition to an already congested footballing calendar raised eyebrows, especially for European clubs who have just wrapped up their draining domestic seasons, but it represents an invaluable opportunity for Urawa to square off with some of the world's top sides. The draw has placed them in a tough but intriguing Group E featuring Argentina's River Plate, led by 17-year-old wonderkid Franco Mastantuono, Italian giants Inter Milan, who made this year's UEFA Champions League final, and Mexican powerhouse Monterrey. "I want Urawa to show they can more than compete with anyone on the world stage," former Japan captain and Urawa player Makoto Hasebe said in a video message in March as the trophy was exhibited at their Saitama Stadium. Prior to the latest alteration, the Toyota Cup pitted European and South American champions in a one-off decider in Japan before it was expanded to the previous edition of the Club World Cup in 2005, contested by six continental champions and a side from the host nation. Urawa's best outing to date in the tournament came in 2007 when the Asian champions lost 1-0 to Kaka-inspired AC Milan in the semifinals but beat Etoile Sahel of Tunisia in the third-place match 4-2 on penalties following a 2-2 draw. Recently crowned European champions Paris Saint-Germain join Real Madrid, Manchester City and Bayern Munich as favorites to lift the new trophy, while the spotlight will fall on 38-year-old Lionel Messi after his Inter Miami claimed the host's slot. Urawa arrive in the United States on the back of a decent domestic season so far, sitting third and six points off the top midway through the J1 campaign, having played two games more than leaders Kashima Antlers. Kashima, the 2018 ACL winners, incidentally had the best run at the Club World Cup two years earlier as host representative, reaching the final where they lost 4-2 in extra time to Real Madrid, a feat that Urawa goalkeeper Shusaku Nishikawa hopes his team can emulate. "In order to tell the world how wonderful the J-League is, we need to produce a good result," said the veteran who is set to play in the Club World Cup for the fourth time. "Earning at least a point in the opener is the most important thing and we want to focus on that (for now)."
7 hours ago
Mao Asada to Launch Figure Skating School
News from Japan Sports Jun 12, 2025 18:53 (JST) Tokyo, June 12 (Jiji Press)--Japanese figure skating icon Mao Asada, a former world champion, said Thursday that she will open an academy in Tokyo to nurture the next generation of figure skaters. The school, "Kinoshita Mao Academy," will train around 10 children aged between 5 and 9 at a skating rink produced by Asada, 34, in the city of Tachikawa, Tokyo. It is scheduled to open on Aug. 1. "I will instruct each skater carefully, " Asada said at a press conference in Tokyo, expressing her eagerness to take her first steps as a coach. Asada said she will refrain from professional figure skating activities for the time being to focus on coaching children. "I want to nurture world-class figure skaters," Asada said, adding that one of her dreams is to train figure skaters who can qualify for the 2034 Winter Olympics. [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.] Jiji Press
Kyodo News
7 hours ago
- Kyodo News
Figure skating: Retired star Mao Asada to open coaching academy
KYODO NEWS - 7 minutes ago - 18:40 | Sports, All Retired figure skater Mao Asada, who won silver for Japan at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics, announced Thursday she is embarking on a full-time coaching career. The 34-year-old hopes to train some of the sport's future stars at her school, the Kinoshita MAO Academy, which is scheduled to open on Aug. 1. "I'm taking a new step. I want to instruct each skater carefully one-on-one," Asada said at a press conference in Tokyo. The three-time world champion has stayed active, performing in ice shows since retiring from competition in 2017. The school has been developed with the backing of the Tokyo-based Kinoshita Group, which operates construction and nursing care businesses. Asada oversaw the construction of a rink in the western Tokyo city of Tachikawa that was completed in November. She plans to instruct around 10 pupils aged between 5 and 9 at the school, hoping to "develop skaters who can be world No. 1." Related coverage: Figure skating: Teen star Nishino signals big future with quad jumps Figure skating: U.S. holds on to win World Team Trophy, Japan 2nd Figure skating: U.S. leads Japan ahead of World Team Trophy final day
