Focusing solely on pitching, Ohtani fans 10 in 6 innings as L.A. completes sweep

LOS ANGELES -- For once, Shohei Ohtani could take his time striding off the mound after the top of the first inning. He could return to the dugout at his leisure, not having to do his usual mad dash to the on-deck circle to lead off the Dodgers' half of the frame.

Wednesday night at Dodger Stadium brought an uncommon occurrence for Ohtani, marking the first time since 2021 that he pitched in a game without being in the lineup as a hitter. The Dodgers opted to keep him solely focused on his pitching as he nurses a bruised right shoulder, where he was hit by a pitch on Monday.

It didn't take long for Ohtani to quell any lingering concerns about his shoulder. He struck out a season-high 10 hitters across six innings of one-run ball in an 8-2 win that sealed a three-game sweep of the Mets. Ohtani also threw a tick harder than he had all season, hitting triple digits four times.

Giving his undivided attention to pitching allowed Ohtani to spend more time on game planning, but other than that, he didn't think that not hitting affected him on the mound.

"In between innings felt a little longer than normal," Ohtani said through interpreter Will Ireton. "That was really the only difference that I felt."

Ohtani's streak of not allowing an earned run came to an end at 32 2/3 innings, but his MLB-best 48-game on-base streak remains intact because he did not have a plate appearance on Wednesday, so he'll look to extend that on Friday in Colorado. According to OptaSTATS, since the earned run became an official stat in 1913, Ohtani and Babe Ruth are the only Major Leaguers with a 30-game-plus on-base streak and a 30-inning-plus streak without allowing an earned run at any point in their careers.

Ohtani breezed through his first four innings, only allowing one baserunner when MJ Melendez doubled with one out in the third. Ohtani’s stuff looked to drop off a tad in the fifth, when he bookended a fielder's choice with walks to put two on with one out.

That brought Melendez up, who again was the only Met to make solid contact against Ohtani with a ground-rule double that brought one run home. After that, Ohtani bore down: He hit 100.2 and 100.3 mph while striking out Tommy Pham on a foul tip, then dialed up 100.1 mph and 100.4 mph to get Francisco Lindor to line out.

"I can’t go full-throttle the whole time," Ohtani said. "But considering where the game was at that point, I felt like I just really had to go full-throttle and consider the game situation."

Ohtani closed out his outing by sending Luis Robert Jr., Brett Baty and Bo Bichette down swinging in succession to become the first Dodgers starter to strike out double-digit batters this season. While Ohtani's 100.4 mph pitch to Lindor was his hardest pitch of the season, the 71.5 mph slow curve he used to punch out Baty was the third-slowest strikeout pitch of his career.

For the Dodgers, watching Ohtani transform from hitter to pitcher from one inning to another is a spectacle that can practically rival what he does on the field. Many were just as fascinated to see how Ohtani approached only being a pitcher.

"I thought that just channeling all that energy into pitching was helpful," manager Dave Roberts said. "The last couple of outings, I felt he was fighting himself a little bit at times. But tonight he was really good. I think even that, the fifth inning got a little bit wonky, but he kind of reined it back in and then came back out for the sixth."

"Everyone knows what he can do with the bat, everyone knows what he can do with the baseball," said Dalton Rushing, who filled in at DH for Ohtani by going 2-for-4 with a grand slam. "But being able to separate the two sometimes, it's honestly better."

After seeing what Ohtani did solely as a pitcher, is Roberts planning on repeating this arrangement for his future starts?

"If I know that Dalton can throw out a couple hits and drive in four runs," Roberts said. "But [Ohtani] likes to hit. He likes to hit. I think it’s more of just knowing that you have another option if it makes sense. But like I said before, I’m not just going to proactively sit him if my eyes aren’t telling me that he needs a blow."