Shohei Ohtani, a pitcher only for first time in five years, strikes out 10 as Dodgers sweep Mets

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But after he was hit by a pitch in the upper back on Monday, manager Dave Roberts made the unusual call to start Ohtani as a pitcher only, and turned to Dalton Rushing as the designated hitter. Ohtani responded with six innings of dominance over a reeling New York Mets squad, striking out 10. Rushing clobbered his first career grand slam to put the game away in the eighth. The Dodgers swept the Mets, 8-2, moving to a MLB-best 14-4. Shohei Ohtani reaches double-digit Ks for the first time this season 😤 https://t.co/RWiXiCGwER pic.twitter.com/HqAlbOkLaD Plenty of things are going right for the back-to-back champs to open the season. There is plenty more to be excited about. Ohtani returning to peak form on the mound, as he demonstrated Wednesday, is at the top of the list. Two years removed from his second major elbow surgery and cleared for a full season of pitching for the first time as a Dodger, Ohtani has already shown through three starts that he’s back to being one of baseball’s best pitchers. The Dodgers would obviously like that to continue, hence their conservative usage. Roberts said he would have started Ohtani as the designated hitter if he had not been hit by the pitch. While Ohtani was not seriously hurt, lingering soreness still gave the skipper some pause. Citing a preference to keep Ohtani focused on one thing and a need to keep him rested, Roberts made the rare decision to take Ohtani out of the DH spot. “I do think that just to be able to pitch and focus on that will be a benefit for the mind and the body, and hopefully we’re just in a little moment of fatigue and we can get past it,” Roberts said. FIRST CAREER GRAND SLAM FOR DALTON RUSHING! pic.twitter.com/N72dk4GzAq — Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) April 16, 2026 Ohtani didn’t just get past the fatigue. He carved up the Mets lineup. He established the fastball early and unfurled the majority of his seven-pitch arsenal from there. After he was tagged for his first earned run of the year in the top of the fifth, Ohtani — clearly vexed — fired four straight fastballs over 100 miles per hour (his four hardest thrown pitches of the night) to end the inning and strand the game’s tying run at third. He finished his night by striking out the side in the sixth, one on the fastball, one on the curveball and one on the splitter. “Just added a little more intensity after they scored a run,” Ohtani said through interpreter Will Ireton. “But overall, it felt really nice and easy and loose throughout the whole outing. So I think that’s the reason why I threw a little harder.” “I can’t go full throttle the whole time,” he added. “But considering where the game was at that point, I felt like I just really had to go full throttle and consider the game situation.” Shohei Ohtani, 86mph Sweeper (swinging strike) and 99mph Fastball (backwards K), Individual Pitches + Overlay. Why you'd take that 99mph heater. pic.twitter.com/Eh3Hs9J09S — Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) April 16, 2026 Ohtani remarked that aside from the time between innings feeling longer, he didn’t notice a difference by not hitting, but was able to spend more time game-planning against opposing hitters. There is a benefit in allowing him to focus solely on pitching on his start day. Don’t expect that to be the norm, however. While the Dodgers are being strategic about when he pitches — Los Angeles will continue their six-man rotation through their upcoming road trip, and will also continue stacking Ohtani’s starts on games before a scheduled off day when possible — his daily usage isn’t likely to change. Ohtani will remain the team’s leadoff hitter on days he pitches, and he should retake that spot for his next start, which is scheduled for Wednesday in San Francisco. “Specific to today, I think this is the right decision, this is the best decision, for (Ohtani) to not hit today,” Roberts said. “Then the question is on days that he pitches, where’s the best for him to hit in the order? I think there’s fair arguments to both, to moving him down a little bit, give him a breather, let him get into the game. But I’m not prepared to make that decision quite yet. “(Resting Ohtani) is something I’m going to keep an eye on if it makes sense, but not just kind of do it proactively,” he added. “It’s got to make sense to not have your best hitter not in the lineup.” Ohtani has been agreeable to the Dodgers’ scheduling. Managing his workload is critical to help preserve his health throughout the season. It’s a fine needle for Roberts to thread, and a process Ohtani must be open to, or at least understand. Those factors can become compromised, especially if Ohtani continues to excel. But Wednesday showed the benefits of playing it safe, and Ohtani said as much after his start. “It made sense, just strategically, having these off days right before our series in Denver,” Ohtani said. “It’s really important for us as a team to be healthy throughout the season, so that made sense.” Ohtani and the Dodgers waited the better part of two years for his triumphant return to the mound. The early showings from his starts this season show why they’re so excited — and why it’s all the more important for both parties to take it slow. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Katie Woo is a staff writer for The Athletic covering the Los Angeles Dodgers and Major League Baseball. She previously spent five seasons covering the St. Louis Cardinals for The Athletic, and was named the Missouri Sportswriter of the Year in 2022. Katie is a graduate from Arizona State University and originates from northern California. Follow Katie on Twitter @katiejwoo