Rehabilitation once made him fear he wouldn't return! Shohei Ohtani changed tactics to strike out nine batters and earned his first win with the Dodgers.

Los Angeles Dodgers two-way star Shohei Ohtani secured his first victory since joining the team today (28th), a win he had waited 749 days for. In a postgame interview, Ohtani admitted that during his surgical rehab, he constantly worried about regaining his pitching strength, but by heavily relying on curveballs and splitters to get outs today, he regained his confidence.

In this game against the Cincinnati Reds, Ohtani started and pitched 5 innings with 87 pitches, striking out 9 and allowing only 1 run, delivering his best performance since joining the Dodgers. Notably, he shifted from his usual fastball-focused approach, throwing 23 curveballs and 11 splitters, with 4 strikeouts coming from curveballs alone. Ohtani said, “Fastball is the key in rehab, but now that my curveball and splitter are working well, it means my recovery is more complete.”

The Reds’ only run came from Noelvi Marte’s solo home run in the top of the 3rd inning, while the rest of the game they were completely suppressed. The Dodgers ultimately won 5-1, sweeping the three-game series. Ohtani not only shut down the Reds on the mound but also sparked a four-run rally in the bottom of the 4th with the team’s first hit. He once again showcased the value of being a two-way player. After the game, he laughed and said the happiest thing wasn’t the win, but “finally completing 5 innings,” since he had been forced to leave early before due to pitch count limits.

Reflecting on his rehab journey, Ohtani confessed he worried every day about whether he could regain his pitching skills, but repeated game action gradually reassured him. “Rehab often doesn’t go as planned, but just being able to stand on the mound again is something to cherish.” He gave special thanks to the medical and training staff for their continuous support and help.

Reds manager Terry Francona also praised his performance highly: “He’s incredible! It’s hard to imagine a player with such talent who is also fully dedicated to baseball like him.”