The Cincinnati Reds are scheduled to face five-time All-Star and three-time MVP winner Shohei Ohtani for three games at Great American Ball Park, and the Los Angeles Dodgers star is his team’s probable starting pitcher for the series finale.
The only time Ohtani has pitched against the Reds in eight MLB seasons was in 2023, when Ohtani played for the Los Angeles Angels and won the American League MVP award.
Ohtani’s outing came in the first game of a Reds-Angels doubleheader in Anaheim on August 23 of that year. Ohtani crushed a 442-foot homer, his 44th of the season, in the first inning, and looked sharp on the mound early on.
But Ohtani only faced five batters before leaving the game because of arm fatigue, and the Reds overcame an early 3-0 deficit to win 9-4.
The Reds’ Elly De La Cruz also poked Ohtani, as if to see if he was real.
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It was the last time Ohtani, who was diagnosed with a torn UCL, pitched that season. He didn’t pitch at all in 2024.
Shohei Ohtani went about 22 months after a 2023 Reds-Angels start without pitching in a game
Ohtani has made six starts this season, with the first coming June 16 against the Padres.
He’s posted a 1.50 ERA in 12 innings over those six starts, facing a total of 47 batters. His longest start of the season has lasted three innings.
