Healthy starter: Could new splitter deliver Cy Young award to Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani?
· Yahoo Sports
Healthy starter: Could new splitter deliver Cy Young award to Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani? originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Visit sportfeeds.autos for more information.
Healthy Shohei Ohtani expects to remain busy.
The Los Angeles Dodgers' two-way standout batted leadoff and served as the starting pitcher against the Cleveland Guardians at Dodger Stadium on Tuesday night.
Healthy for the first time in several offseasons, Ohtani anticipates making about 25 starts for the back-to-back World Series champions.
Featuring an effective four-season fastball and splitter, Ohtani opened the season with six scoreless innings. He allowed one hit and three walks, but struck out six on 87 pitches. He departed leading, 2-0.
Projected to play a prominent role during last month’s World Baseball Classic, Ohtani pitched in only two spring training games. His final tuneup came during the March 24 spring-training outing against the Los Angeles Angels. He struck out 11 in four innings, declaring himself regular-season ready.
Could Shohei Ohtani win Cy Young award?
In his pitching debut Tuesday, Ohtani retired the Guardians in order on 15 pitches during the first inning. He tossed leadoff hitter Steven Kwan three consecutive 96-mph four-seam fastballs, prompting the Indians’ leadoff hitter to fly out to right-center field.
In the second inning, the Guardians were retired in order on 11 pitches.
The end of the third inning displayed a healthy Ohtani at, potentially, his best. With two outs, Bo Naylor struck out swinging on an 88-mph splitter, the pitch that could guide Ohtani to becoming a future Cy Young award candidate.
Offensively, Ohtani drew two walks in his first three plate appearances.
While the splitter was Ohtani’s third in his initial 26 offerings Tuesday, he experimented more with the offering during his limited spring appearances. After throwing a splitter just 4.6 percent of his pitches last season, he was up to 15 percent during Cactus League play.
Injuries limited Ohtani to 47 innings pitched in 2025. If he remains healthy and logs at least 140 innings in ‘26, he could create a Cy Young run, especially if his splitter remains dominant.