Los Angeles Dodgers two-way star Shohei Ohtani exited Wednesday’s start against the Cincinnati Reds (GameTracker) with what the team described as cramps. His departure came in the middle of an at-bat in the fourth inning, alongside a trainer, after he threw six consecutive balls, including two wild pitches. He did, however, stay in as DH to take his at-bat in the sixth inning, striking out looking.
At the point of his removal from the mound, Ohtani had completed three innings and surrendered a run on five hits and a walk. He had struck out four of the 15 batters he had faced. According to Statcast, Ohtani’s average fastball velocity on Wednesday was 98.7 mph, or 0.8 mph faster than his seasonal average. His final five pitches were all fastballs, and each clocked in at 96 mph or harder, including 97.6 mph or harder on each of his final three pitches.
Ohtani, 31, was making his seventh appearance since returning from the elbow surgery that cost him last season as a pitcher. In his previous six appearances, he compiled a 1.50 ERA (two earned runs allowed) and a 4.33 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 12 innings. The Dodgers had been conservative with Ohtani’s workload, limiting him at first to an inning per appearance before increasing that number to two innings per and, in his most recent two appearances, three innings apiece.
Ohtani has continued to excel as a hitter, all the while, entering Wednesday batting .272/.377/.612 (173 OPS+) with 38 home runs, 73 runs batted in, and 13 stolen bases (on 17 attempts). His contributions as a hitter alone had been worth an estimated 4.5 Wins Above Replacement in his first 106 games, according to the calculations housed at Baseball Reference.
Ohtani is in the second season of the 10-year pact worth $700 million he signed with the Dodgers in December 2023.
The Dodgers came into Wednesday with a 63-45 record, putting them four games up in the National League West.