Shohei Ohtani can do a lot of things in baseball, but up until Wednesday night, one thing he had not achieved since signing with the Los Angeles Dodgers was pick up a pitching victory. He finally got one when he tamed the Cincinnati Reds in a 5-1 victory at Dodger Stadium on Wednesday.
Making his 11th start in the 2025 MLB regular season, Ohtani pitched for five innings versus the Reds, allowing just an earned run on two hits, while racking up a total of nine strikeouts. 53 of his 87 pitches went for strikes.
Ohtani said he felt comfortable on the mound, as he also posted a season high for most strikeouts in a game.
“I was able to do what I wanted to do as a pitcher today,” the reigning National League Most Valuable Player said via his interpreter, Will Ireton, during the postgame interview.
"I was able to do what I wanted to do as a pitcher today."
Shohei Ohtani (5.0 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 9 K) speaks with @THEREAL_DV after the Dodgers defeat the Cincinnati Reds, 5-1 and secure the series sweep! pic.twitter.com/AB5bASOVKt
— SportsNet LA (@SportsNetLA) August 28, 2025
Ohtani showed more confidence in his stuff as well. He threw more curveballs in the Reds game than in all his previous 2025 pitching appearances. It was a great sign for things to come for the Japanese superstar, who did not pitch in the entire 2024 season, as he rehabilitated from an elbow injury and surgery. It was only last June when Ohtani started pitching again in the big leagues.
Ohtani is now 1-1 with a 4.18 ERA and 1.21 WHIP across 11 starts (32.1 innings) in 2025. As for the Dodgers, they improved to 77-57.
Ohtani also benefited from ample run support from the Dodgers' offense. He even contributed to it, going 1-for-5 with a run scored in the fourth inning. The Reds got on the board first when Ohtani allowed a home run to Cincinnati third baseman Noelvi Marte, but a four-run fourth inning put the Dodgers in front for good. Michael
Conforto added some more insurance for LA with a solo home run in the eighth inning that went 419 feet deep.
The Dodgers' victory over Cincinnati completed a three-game sweep of the series, which marked just the first time that the Reds got swept in the 2025 season.
On a four-game winning streak, the Dodgers will next host the Arizona Diamondbacks for a three-game set, beginning this coming Friday.
