By Field Level Media
Shohei Ohtani makes his much-anticipated return to the mound at Angel Stadium on Wednesday night when the Los Angeles Dodgers try to salvage the finale of their three-game Freeway Series with the Los Angeles Angels.
It will mark the first time Ohtani (0-0, 2.37 ERA) will pitch against his former team. The last time the right-hander took the mound at the Big A was on Aug. 23, 2023 when he departed in the second inning in a game against the Cincinnati Reds with a torn UCL that would require Tommy John surgery.
By then Ohtani was well on his way to his second unanimous American League MVP award with the Angels, compiling a 10-5 record and 3.14 ERA with 167 strikeouts in 132 innings to go along with a .304 batting average, 44 home runs, 95 RBIs and 20 stolen bases.
Ohtani then signed a 10-year, $700 million free agent contract with the rival Dodgers on Dec. 11, 2023 and won this third MVP Award while leading his new team to a World Series title in 2024.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said the plan is for Ohtani to go four innings as he slowly builds up his pitch count in his return from surgery. Ohtani has thrown 19 innings with 25 strikeouts so far and comes off an Aug. 6 outing against St. Louis that saw him allow one run on two hits while striking out eight in four innings of a 5-3 loss to the Cardinals.
The contest also will mark the first time that Ohtani will face former teammate and three-time MVP Mike Trout on the mound since the championship game of the 2023 World Baseball Classic in Miami, Fla. Ohtani struck out Trout swinging on a 3-2 pitch to end the game in spectacular fashion and give Japan a 3-2 win over the United States.
All that nostalgia, though, means very little to a Dodgers team that has seen its nine-game lead in the National League West evaporate in a little over a month.
The Dodgers, losers of 20 of their last 32 games, enter Wednesday night’s contest tied with the San Diego Padres for first-place in the National League West with matching 68-52 records.
“Now it’s a new season,” Roberts said. “You look at the standings … we’ve just got to play better baseball and find ways to win games.”
Right-hander Kyle Hendricks (6-8, 4.63 ERA), who is 3-3 with a 5.53 ERA in eight career starts against the Dodgers, will start for the Angels.
The Angels have won a team record-tying six games in a row over the Dodgers, including a wild 7-6 10-inning walk-off victory on Tuesday.
Jo Adell chopped a single over third baseman Max Muncy to drive in Taylor Ward with the winning run. It marked the ninth walk-off win of the season for the Angels.
“I was just trying to put something in play, kind of shorten up and see what happens,” Adell said after getting a Gatorade shower. “Got a good bounce, and that’s part of it is kind of playing the game. I’m excited for it.”
Ohtani, who hit into a triple play in the sixth inning, had given the Dodgers a 6-5 lead in the ninth with a towering home run down the right-field line off Kenley Jansen. It was Ohtani’s 43rd homer of the season, breaking a tie with Philadelphia’s Kyle Schwarber for the National League lead, and extended his home run streak to four games.
However, Dodger reliever Alex Vesia couldn’t hold the lead in the bottom of the ninth as Nolan Schanuel drove in Luis Rengifo, who had led off with a single, with a sacrifice fly to tie it. Vesia also walked three batters (one intentionally) in the inning.
“It’s on me. I’ve got to be better,” Vesia said. “Got flush this one, and got another game tomorrow.”
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