LOS ANGELES -- Shohei Ohtani has already done some mind-boggling things in a Dodgers uniform. But for his first year and change in L.A., he was on a long road to recovery that prevented him from doing the thing that truly makes him a "unicorn" among big leaguers: pitch.
Nearly 22 months after making his previous big league start, 21 months after undergoing a second major surgery on his right elbow and 18 months after signing a then-record contract with the Dodgers, Ohtani made his highly anticipated return to a big league mound in Monday night's 6-3 win over the Padres.
"I'm just really grateful, reflecting back on all the support that I received from the doctors that operated on me, the support staff, the team and everybody who supported me along the way," Ohtani said through interpreter Will Ireton. "I'm just grateful that, aside from the results, to be able to show and be grateful for the moment I had today."
Ohtani allowed one run in one inning in his first start as a Dodger, then went 2-for-4 with two RBIs at the plate. Entering the day, Don Drysdale's 29 homers were the most in franchise history by a player with at least one start on the mound. Ohtani, who has hit 79 career homers with L.A., now sits atop that list.
A Dodger Stadium that was already packed before first pitch -- with a lot of No. 17 jerseys in the crowd -- certainly shared that sentiment. When Ohtani took the field to begin warming up, he got a big ovation from fans, many of whom along the left-field line remained on their feet until he moved into the home bullpen.
There was an even bigger roar when he jogged out to the mound to Michael Bublé's "Feeling Good."
"To see him come into the dugout from the 'pen, all that stuff," manager Dave Roberts said. "I was kind of fanboying for like half an inning."
It was a moment of heightened emotion all around. Even Ohtani admitted to feeling some nerves.
"Definitely a little bit more than when I was solely a position player," he said.
Ohtani allowed back-to-back singles to Fernando Tatis Jr. and Luis Arraez, then recorded his first out on his 18th pitch of the frame -- but it was a sacrifice fly for Manny Machado. Ohtani then induced groundouts from his next two hitters to strand Arraez.
He threw 28 pitches (16 strikes) and hit 100.2 mph with his four-seamer -- which was tied with Michael Kopech for the Dodgers' second-fastest pitch of the season, behind Roki Sasaki reaching 100.5. Fourteen of Ohtani's pitches registered at or above 98 mph.
"I was aiming to sit 95-96, but the game intensity really allowed me to throw a little harder," Ohtani said.
Then Ohtani walked off the mound, headed to the dugout and prepared to lead off the bottom of the first. He struck out swinging in his first at-bat against Padres starter Dylan Cease -- and later made up for the run he allowed with a game-tying double in the third inning.
Monday marked the 12th time he's batted in the leadoff spot and started a game on the mound. He's just the fourth starting pitcher to bat leadoff since 1900, forming an exclusive club with Cesar Tovar (Sept. 22, 1968), Al Dark (Sept. 27, 1953) and Jim Jones (Sept. 30, 1901) -- all of whom only did so once.
If all goes as planned for Ohtani, it'll happen once a week for the Dodgers going forward.
"I did hit 100 today, so I want to see first where my body feels and how it reacts," Ohtani said. "But the expectation is for me to go once a week, hopefully to be able to go a little longer every time I'm out there so that the bullpen won't be so taxed."
As Ohtani has said, being a two-way player is normal for him. He's built his decorated career on being both a hitter and a pitcher. But there's some novelty for both the Dodgers and their fans in seeing him as a fully actualized two-way player.
"I always understood how hard it was to pitch and then come in and hit," said Max Muncy, whose two-run single in the fourth put L.A. on top for good. "But seeing him come off the mound and go into the dugout -- I don’t know. It kind of hit a little different seeing it from our side."