To say Shohei Ohtani is having a fabulous season would be an understatement. Aaron Judge, too, is making great strides, but Ohtani is penning his name in history books. While Ohtani’s record with baseball has always been stellar, this season, his first with the Los Angeles Dodgers has added more stars to his resume. He made it to the 40-40 club, inaugurated the 50-50 club, and broke records of baseball greats like Alex Rodriguez and Babe Ruth. 

In fact, it’s not surprising that Ohtani is called the modern ‘Babe Ruth’! However, he is not in his full element – the Japanese star is a two-way player, and in 2021, he became the first player in MLB history to be named an All-Star as both a pitcher and a designated pitcher. But coming into this season, he only could hit due to his injury. But while most say that Ohtani will get into pitching in the coming season, it might be sooner than you think.

Shohei Ohtani back to pitching soon?

Shohei Ohtani’s recovery from his elbow surgery has been going well. Back in May itself, he was thrown from 60 feet and hitting speeds up to 80 miles per hour. He has been tossing between 60-70 pitches from the distance, increasing the range as part of his rehab process. Ohtani’s agent, Nez Balelo, had given a statement from Dr. Neal ElAttrache, “I expect full recovery, and he’ll be ready to hit without any restrictions come opening day of 2024 and do both (Hit & Pitch) come 2025.” This statement silenced any news of Ohtani pitching again this season, well until now!

Seems like Shohei Ohtani may be well enough to pitch this season itself. A rival scout who saw Ohtani’s bullpen sessions noted that Ohtani was “letting it rip,” throwing with complete intensity rather than someone who is easing back into form after major surgery. This news has spread like wildfire that Ohtani can make his comeback sooner than anticipated.

Given that the Los Angeles Dodgers have a lack of pitchers, Shohei can very well be opted by the team to get back soon. Mostly since in the postseason, they could use all the help they can have. President of the baseball operations of Dodgers, Andrew Freidman said, “It’s not really an option,” dismissing the idea of Ohtani’s return to pitching this year completely. But, it’s still a ‘surprise’ that the Dodger fans are hoping to come true. 

All eyes on Shohei Ohtani for the off-season

As the Los Angeles Dodgers are heading towards the postseason–all eyes are going to be on Shohei Ohtani—it’s his first MLB postseason tint. The expectations are sky high, and if you look at the 2023 World Baseball Classic, it offers a glimpse as to what we can expect from Ohtani. In 33 plate appearances, he had hit a whopping ,435 with a 1.345 OPS, showing he can thrive when needed. Ohtani famously recorded a 1.86 ERA in 9 2/3 innings, ending the tournament by striking out Mike Trout in a thrilling finale. 

Now, in September, Ohtani has a batting average of .393 and 1.225 OPS—his best month of the season. For the second consecutive month, he hit 10 home runs and stole 15 bases, something that only Carlos Beltran managed in 2004. So, this surge of performance has everyone analyzing if Ohtani can keep up the momentum going into the playoffs. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said, “I think it can go one of two ways” about how it can go for the Dodgers star.

According to Roberts, Ohtani will either get jumpy and press or he will be in control and dominate. But looking at how he has performed in high-pressure scenarios, figuring out that the postseason will be as stellar won’t be farfetched. September has been stellar, and WBC heroics history all indicates that Ohtani will smash it post-season. What do you guys think will be Shohei Ohtani’s postseason be like? Let us know.