As Shohei Ohtani has navigated a historic campaign in his first season with the Los Angeles Dodgers, his work to return to the mound hasn’t stopped.
Just one day after becoming only the sixth player to join the 40/40 club, Ohtani threw off a mound for the first time since undergoing elbow surgery in the off-season.
Throwing in the home bullpen at Dodger Stadium before Saturday’s game against the Tampa Bay Rays — and sporting a #MaxStrong shirt in support of teammate Freddie Freeman — Ohtani tossed 10 pitches, taking a significant step in his pitching rehab.
Ohtani has played catch throughout the season as he continues to rehab his pitching elbow.
Before being shut down from pitching by the Los Angeles Angels in 2023, the 30-year-old had delivered 132.0 innings with 167 strikeouts and a 3.14 ERA over 23 starts.
For his career, the two-time MVP owns a 3.01 ERA, 481.2 innings pitched and 608 strikeouts on the mound.
Of course, Ohtani signed a 10-year, $700 million contract with the Dodgers in the off-season, despite only being able to hit for the first year of the deal. But he has more than delivered at the plate in 2024, entering play Saturday as the frontrunner for NL MVP with a .292/.378/.614 slash line with 40 home runs, 92 RBIs, 29 doubles and 40 stolen bases.
