Ohtani faces hitters for 1st time since elbow surgery, throws 22 pitches of live BP at Citi Field

NEW YORK (AP) — Shohei Ohtani took a significant step Sunday toward making his pitching debut for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The two-way superstar faced hitters for the first time since elbow surgery, throwing 22 pitches at Citi Field before the NL West-leading Dodgers played the New York Mets.

With dozens of reporters watching from the stands more than 4 1/2 hours ahead of gametime, Ohtani threw to five batters in a simulated setting — including teammates Hyeseong Kim and Dalton Rushing.

“I thought it was a good first step,” manager Dave Roberts said. “Certainly exciting for all of us.”

Roberts and pitching coach Mark Prior watched closely from the field. Prior said Ohtani’s fastball ranged from 94-97 mph, and the right-hander also fired sinkers, cutters, two sweepers and a splitter.

“He threw his arsenal,” Prior said. “The stuff is there.”

Working from the windup and smiling between batters, Ohtani deftly snagged a comebacker, struck out two hitters and walked his final one in a session that lasted about 10 minutes. Kim lined a ball into the right-field corner that likely would have gone for a double or triple.

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“He was moving the ball both sides of the plate,” Prior said. “I think he got the awkward swings that you would want to see. You don’t expect perfection the first time out. But I thought overall, again, it was a really good live BP.”

J.T. Watkins, the Dodgers’ game-planning and communication coach, also batted so Ohtani could face a right-handed hitter. Watkins struck out once — and later flipped his bat after drawing a walk.

“Obviously, we were having some fun out there,” Prior said. “I think today was great because (Ohtani) was able to keep the mood light but able to maintain some real stuff. ... He was loose, and it was all free and easy, so that’s always a positive.”

Teammates hooted and hollered from behind the batting cage, keeping the session lighthearted. And even Mets manager Carlos Mendoza came out to watch.

“He’s special,” Mendoza said. “He’s getting ready to be the leadoff hitter for the Dodgers and four hours before the first pitch, he’s throwing 95, 96 (mph) with a split. He’s having fun. Yeah, that’s what the game needs, players like that. It’s just fun to be out there and watch him do his thing.”

Ohtani is recovering from surgery on Sept. 19, 2023, the second major operation on his right elbow since he arrived in the majors from Japan. He hasn’t pitched in a big league game since Aug. 23, 2023, for the Los Angeles Angels.

“It looked good. He looks healthy,” Prior said. “That’s always the main thing with facing hitters, that he just feels confident, feels like his stamina’s good and his endurance is good and he maintained his stuff. So I thought overall from that standpoint, it’s a success. Pitch movement-wise looked great, too. So overall, it was a good outing.”

Roberts speculated that Ohtani, contingent on how he feels, will likely throw a “touch-and-feel” bullpen Wednesday and another round of live batting practice next weekend. The three-time MVP isn’t expected to pitch in a major league game until after the All-Star break in mid-July.

“Still got a long way to go,” Prior said.

Ohtani returned as a hitter last year after signing a then-record $700 million, 10-year contract with the Dodgers as a free agent and won his third MVP award by batting .310 with 54 homers, 130 RBIs and 59 stolen bases.

Following left shoulder surgery on Nov. 4 to repair a labrum tear sustained during the World Series, Ohtani threw four bullpens at spring training from Feb. 15-25, then paused to prepare for opening day as a hitter. He resumed bullpen sessions on March 29.

The designated hitter went into Sunday night’s series finale against the Mets batting .296 with 17 homers, 31 RBIs and a 1.020 OPS. He has 11 stolen bases and leads the majors with 53 runs for the defending World Series champions.

Ohtani is 38-19 with a 3.01 ERA and 608 strikeouts in 481 2/3 innings during five seasons as a big league pitcher. He had Tommy John surgery on his right elbow Oct. 1, 2018, and returned to a major league mound on July 26, 2020, though he was limited to just two starts during the pandemic-shortened season.

Ohtani is one of several high-profile Dodgers pitchers coming back from injuries. Clayton Kershaw made his season debut May 17 after recovering from foot and knee operations, but Blake Snell hasn’t pitched since April 2 and Tyler Glasnow since April 27, both due to shoulder inflammation.

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AP Baseball Writer Ronald Blum contributed to this report.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb