GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Underneath a sizzling Arizona sun, Shohei Ohtani rivaled the dry desert conditions with some heat of his own on the mound.
Ohtani topped out at 99.9 mph with four punchouts in his 4 1/3 scoreless innings on 61 pitches (34 strikes), receiving a standing ovation when he exited Wednesday's game against the Giants at Camelback Ranch. His command was a little off at times, as he issued two walks and hit a batter, but he sure didn't look like a pitcher who was pitching in his first game since Game 7 of the World Series.
In his first spring start, Ohtani only served as a pitcher rather than carry out his full two-way duties on an afternoon where the temperature threatened to hit triple digits. During the regular season -- and perhaps when he starts one of next week's Freeway Series games -- he's expected to hit and pitch, as he's accustomed to.
"He wants to get re-acclimated into pitching, focus on pitching," manager Dave Roberts said, "and he’s already taken enough at-bats."
Ohtani played in only one Cactus League game before departing Dodgers camp to join Samurai Japan for the World Baseball Classic. He was exclusively a hitter during the tournament, going 6-for-13 (.462) with three homers and seven RBIs in four games before Japan was eliminated by eventual champion Venezuela in the quarterfinal.
Because Ohtani did not pitch in the Classic, it was unclear how much he would be able to build up his arm. He threw bullpen sessions and a four-inning simulated game while he was away, but ramping up in live sessions doesn't necessarily translate directly to game action.
For much of the spring, the Dodgers were operating under the assumption that he would only be stretched out to two or three innings to open the regular season. But due to Japan's early elimination, Ohtani can make two spring starts before pitching in a game that counts.
That puts him considerably ahead of where he was when he made his Dodgers pitching debut last year, completing his rehab from a second major elbow surgery in games at the big league level. He essentially started from scratch and built up an inning at a time back then. This year, he could be close to fully stretched out in his first regular-season start.
"I would say five innings is fair for his first outing," Roberts said. "You look at last year where we were at, one inning. That would be the goal. But once the season starts you’ve got to see how he’s feeling, how his stuff looks, how he’s throwing the baseball."
Ohtani being more built-up could impact the Dodgers' Opening Day roster plans. If he were only usable as a multi-inning opener to start, then the team may have needed multiple length options in the bullpen to cover him, as well as the other starters who are still acclimating to their usual workload. Instead, the Dodgers may be able to run a more traditional five-man rotation to open the season and add a sixth starter when the schedule calls for it.