Shohei Ohtani is finally making his long-awaited Los Angeles Dodgers pitching debut, and he will make some history along the way.

When Ohtani steps into the box in the bottom of the first inning against the San Diego Padres, he will become the first National League player since 1953 to start a game as a pitcher and bat leadoff. He will also be just the third overall to do so since 1900, according to MLB.

At the dish, Ohtani has been his typical dominant self in 2025. Coming off of back-to-back MVP wins, he is leading the National League in home runs (25) as well as runs scored (73) and OPS (1.034).

On the mound, Ohtani hasn't appeared in a Major League game since 2023. That year, with the Los Angeles Angels, he had a 3.14 ERA with 167 strikeouts in 132 innings.

Because of his role in the Dodgers' lineup, Ohtani hasn't been able to make rehab starts, but he began facing live batters in late May. Now, he's able to pitch as a multi-inning opener as he ramps up to his full starting pitcher capabilities. Manager Dave Roberts explained via Sonja Chen of MLB.com, he's comfortable letting Ohtani stretch out in Major League games.

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“I think it's more driven by the fact that it doesn't necessarily need to be a typical starting pitcher ramp up,” he said. “Then to potentially keep running this process out, to have him taxed for a game, where he feels that he's equipped to go an inning or two and then continue to build up from there right now — in that sense, not surprising.”

Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes shared a similar sentiment.

“He’ll pitch tonight,” he said, per Dodger Insider. “We’ll have a conversation, see how he feels, what makes sense moving forward, and just do that over and over again.”

Though the Dodgers sit in first place in the NL West, their starting pitching has been inconsistent. Other than Yoshinobu Yamamoto, no Los Angeles starting pitcher has at least eight starts with an ERA under 4.40.