Shohei Ohtani showcases altered pitch mix, a few flashes of wildness in 6 scoreless innings vs. Guardians

Before Shohei Ohtani’s first bullpen session at the start of spring training, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts was not subtle as he set the stage for the two-way phenom’s first full season as a pitcher in Dodger blue. “I think there's certainly a lot more in there,” the skipper said. “And regardless of my expectations for him, his are going to exceed those.

And I think it's fair to say he expects to be in the Cy Young conversation. ” The road to the game’s highest honor for pitchers is an arduous one, a six-month marathon of mound performance requiring both quality and quantity of innings. That’s true for those who are strictly pitching and also for Ohtani, the only Cy Young hopeful in history who doubles as one of the best hitters on the planet.

As was the case with Ohtani’s many other past pursuits of greatness, this goal is unprecedented, bordering on unfathomable. But he had to start somewhere, and his first outing of 2026 was a step in the right direction. Facing the Cleveland Guardians on an unusually chilly and drizzly Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium, Ohtani delivered six scoreless innings in the Dodgers’ 4-1 victory , allowing just one hit across an impressive outing that included a few flashes of wildness but mostly featured Ohtani on the attack to great effect.

The lone hit didn’t come until Rhys Hoskins scooped a low-and-away sweeper down the left-field line for a double with two outs in the fourth inning. Otherwise, Cleveland’s only offensive successes came courtesy of Ohtani’s occasional lapses in command, which led to three walks and a hit-by-pitch. On the whole, the Guardians’ bats did little to combat Ohtani’s deep repertoire, which helped him rack up six strikeouts, all of the swinging variety.