PHOENIX -- It had been more than 60 years since the big leagues had seen a show quite like the one Shohei Ohtani staged on Wednesday night.
Ohtani lowered his ERA to 0.74 with six scoreless innings while reaching base five times to raise his batting average above .300 for the first time since Opening Day in a do-it-all performance in a 7-0 win over the D-backs, securing at least a split in the four-game series at Chase Field.
Since at least 1900, there have been only four instances of players pitching at least six scoreless innings and reaching base at least five times in a game. Ohtani is the only one of the four who didn't throw a shutout (Mel Stottlemyre in 1964, Mel Parnell in 1951 and Hod Eller in 1920).
Back then, pitchers could not remain in the lineup once they were done on the mound. That wasn't possible until the "Ohtani rule" allowed two-way players to shift from the starting pitcher to the designated hitter starting in 2022. Before that rule was implemented, pitchers essentially had to go the distance to even stand a chance of getting on base five times.
But no pitcher in baseball has had a talent quite like Ohtani's. Great players don't just grow the game; they change it.
"He's the best player that's ever walked this earth," catcher Will Smith said. "It's fun to see him each and every day going out there and competing, giving us six scoreless innings, getting on base a bunch. You don't do that all the time."
When Ohtani hit a leadoff home run to go with six no-hit innings in his previous start, it may have been his most impressive two-way performance of the season. But Wednesday, when he knocked three singles with a pair of walks, may have been his most complete showing on both sides of the ball yet.
Ohtani had little opportunity to rest when he was off the mound, since four of the five instances he reached base came when he was still the pitcher. But that's just part of what it means to be a two-way player. And besides, he'll have time to recover when he's out of the starting lineup on Thursday.
"I felt hot on the mound overall. I was on the bases a lot, I walked a lot," Ohtani said through interpreter Will Ireton. "But for me, it does help to have more runs, helps on the pitching side, so I was happy with that."
Ohtani began his start against the D-backs by going 11 up, 11 down. Dating back to last week, that marked 34 straight batters who had come up empty-handed in the hits column against him. With two outs in the fourth inning, Gabriel Moreno ended that streak at 9 2/3 hitless innings, lacing a two-out double down the right-field line.
The two-bagger gave the D-backs their first real chance to get something going against Ohtani, but they were unable to do anything with it. Later, they put a pair of runners on in the sixth inning but also came away with nothing to show for it.
Ohtani struck out six, walked one and allowed just two hits. Since the earned run became an official statistic in 1913, only two other starting pitchers had a lower ERA through their first 10 starts of a season (excluding openers): Jacob deGrom in 2021 (0.56) and Juan Marichal in 1966 (0.59).
"I think a lot of starting pitchers, you feel your way into the game, give up a couple early and you bear down," manager Dave Roberts said. "But I’ve noticed with Shohei, every run is a premium. He’s literally trying to throw a shutout every time out there, where I don’t know that every starter has that mindset."
In his time in L.A., Ohtani has seen his production as a hitter drop off when he starts on the mound. Wednesday was his first three-hit showing in a regular-season game he pitched as a member of the Dodgers, and it was the second time in his career that he reached base five times in a game he pitched.
After the complete -- and taxing -- two-way performance, Ohtani plans to use his recovery day for its intended purpose. But if his name is called, he'll be ready.
"I'm going to make sure that what I do tomorrow is going to be minimal," Ohtani said. "But I am going to prepare for an important at-bat later in the game."