Shohei Ohtani is doing it again. The Dodgers’ two-way superstar is fully back in his pitching role and absolutely dominating, and he is somehow still mashing at the plate.
Ohtani’s 2026 pitching numbers are video game level. He has a 0.82 ERA across 55 innings. That is not a typo. He is averaging well over a strikeout per inning. He has been one of the best pitchers in baseball by every measurable category. The Dodgers managed his workload carefully early in the season, and that patience has paid off.
He also became the first pitcher in MLB history to hit a leadoff home run during the regular season. The man is rewriting the record book in real time.
Manager Dave Roberts has been the right guy at the right time for Ohtani’s return. Roberts has made it clear the Dodgers are not going to manage this like a typical comeback. He has said publicly that “with Shohei, you’ve got to be willing to adapt.” That means flexibility in pitch counts, willingness to extend Ohtani when he is throwing well, and creative roster management on his pitching days.
Pitching coach Mark Prior has also been a key piece. Prior has spoken about getting the full version of Ohtani back in 2026. The full version means a starting pitcher capable of throwing 95 mph fastballs, devastating sweepers, and a splitter that is one of the best pitches in the game. Through the early returns, that vision is becoming reality.
The Dodgers needed this. Their rotation was uneven at the start of the season. Walker Buehler has been inconsistent. Yoshinobu Yamamoto has had stretches of brilliance mixed with arm fatigue. The bullpen has been overworked. Ohtani returning to give them a top-of-the-rotation arm that also hits like a middle-of-the-order MVP is the kind of move that wins a World Series.
At the plate, Ohtani is still putting up monster numbers. He is leading the league in slugging percentage. He is hitting cleanup in a lineup that includes Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman and Will Smith. The Dodgers’ offense is the best in baseball.
What makes this 2026 version of Ohtani interesting is the maturity. He had Tommy John surgery in 2023 and missed all of 2024 as a pitcher. He returned slowly. He learned from the rehab process. He clearly understands his body better than he did when he was younger. He is pacing himself in ways the old Ohtani never did.
The Dodgers are the World Series favorites for the third year in a row. They have the best pitching, the best lineup, the deepest bench and the most stars. Ohtani is the center of all of it.
The rest of baseball has to figure out how to compete. The answer right now is that they cannot. Ohtani is the most valuable player in baseball by a wide margin, and the Dodgers built the perfect roster around him.
Enjoy this while it lasts. We are watching one of the greatest individual seasons in MLB history.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
