Shohei Ohtani’s first opening-month start on the mound in a Los Angeles Dodgers uniform is set to take place Tuesday in the middle contest of a three-game home series against the Cleveland Guardians.
The two-way star last took an opening turn in the rotation during the 2023 season with the Los Angeles Angels, then underwent the second major elbow procedure of his career once the campaign ended. He did not pitch in his first season with the Dodgers after signing a 10-year, $700 million free-agent contract, then returned to the mound last June.
Just how many innings the Dodgers can get out of Ohtani this season remains to be seen. He threw 47 in the 2025 regular season and another 20 1/3 in the postseason.
Ohtani’s total is expected to exceed the 67 1/3 innings from last season, but manager Dave Roberts said he has not set a firm target number. Ohtani’s high in any one season is 166 innings with the Angels in 2022.
“I think the range question is fair,” Roberts said. “It’s just not an exact science. As much as people want to think it might be — and some people probably do — innings aren’t all created equal. All throws aren’t created equal.”
Ohtani has his goals this season, but an innings total is not one of them.
“Getting a Cy Young (Award) means being able to throw more innings and being able to pitch throughout the whole season, so if that’s the end result, that’s a good sign for me,” Ohtani said through an interpreter.
In two career pitching starts against the Guardians, none after 2022, Ohtani is 1-0 with a 3.72 ERA in 9 2/3 innings.
The Guardians will counter with right-hander Tanner Bibee, whose Opening Day start at Seattle last week was limited to five innings because of shoulder inflammation. Tuesday’s outing remained in doubt until Monday when the Guardians said Bibee will indeed take the mound.
“It kind of got to a point where I feel like I couldn’t really battle through it and give my best stuff,” Bibee said after giving up three runs on four hits over five innings with two walks and seven strikeouts of a no-decision. “It got to a point where I didn’t want to hurt myself or the team in turn.”
A Southern California native who grew up midway between Los Angeles and San Diego in Mission Viejo, Calif., Bibee will be making his second career start at Dodger Stadium. He gave up two runs on four hits over five innings while taking the loss at Los Angeles in September 2024.
He has a tough act to follow after Cleveland No. 5 starter Parker Messick held Los Angeles scoreless over six innings Monday and the bullpen finished off a 4-2 victory. The Dodgers lost for the first time this season.
Cleveland took control of Monday’s game with a three-run seventh inning that came on a two-out, bases-loaded walk by Rhys Hoskins and a two-run double from Daniel Schneemann.
Ohtani had his second hit of the season but is just 2-for-12 at the plate with four walks.
–Field Level Media
