Los Angeles (United States) (AFP) – Japanese superstar Shohei Ohtani threw the fastest pitch of his career on Saturday, firing a 101.7 mph fastball in the first inning of the Los Angeles Dodgers’ 9-5 loss to the Royals in Kansas City. Ohtani pitched two innings for the first time since he returned to the mound this month after a near two-year absence in the wake of elbow surgery.
With one out in the first, he gave up a line drive single to Bobby Witt Jr., then walked Maikel Garcia. Ohtani then went up two strikes against Vinnie Pasquantino — on a 99.2 mph fastball and a 100.2 mph fastball. Pasquantino finally grounded into a double play off Ohtani’s blistering 101.7 mph four-seam fastball — the fastest pitch by a Dodgers hurler this year.
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Ohtani retired three straight batters in the second and finished with 27 pitches, 20 of them strikes. At the plate, Ohtani struck out twice before he was taken out as pitcher, finishing the day 0-for-4.
Ohtani, the reigning National League Most Valuable Player, returned to the mound this month for the first time since August 2023 — when he tore elbow ligaments pitching for the Los Angeles Angels. He has starred with his bat since joining the Dodgers on a 10-year, $700 million contract in December 2023, but the team has taken a careful approach to his return to the mound. He has now pitched four innings in three outings this season, with Saturday’s start being his first on the road.
© 2024 AFP
