Shohei Ohtani's Got One Thing on His Mind and the Dodgers Know Exactly What It Is
The arm is back. The stamina is there. And now Shohei Ohtani is locked in on something the entire league should be paying attention to: a Cy Young Award. The two-way star is taking the mound against the New York Mets on ESPN at 10 p.m. ET on April 15, and if you've been watching the Dodgers work, you can feel the shift in intensity.
The Pitcher Who Never Stops Talking Shop
Dodgers pitching coach Mark Prior thought life was going to be complicated when Ohtani came back as a full-time two-way player. Limited time. Hitting always pulling focus. The usual suspects. But Prior got schooled fast. Between innings, Ohtani doesn't take a breather like most guys. He walks straight into the dugout, finds an empty spot near the bench, and locks in with his catcher and Prior to break down everything. What's the stuff doing? How are hitters reacting? Is the game plan working or do we need adjustments?
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👉 Claim Your Free $10 at Kalshi"Most guys will take a breather," Prior said. "He'll start rattling off and start talking about what's going on because he knows obviously, his time's limited." Sometimes Ohtani would leave a question hanging in the air and expect an answer the moment he got back from the on-deck circle. The guy races into his batting equipment while still dissecting his last inning. That's not normal. That's mission mode.
Two Different Versions of Ohtani
When he's only hitting, the Dodgers saw him relaxed, even jovial. But the second he steps on the mound? A switch flips. The intensity cranks up. There's an edge. And now, as spring training wrapped and Ohtani gears up for his first full season as a two-way player in three years, Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman is seeing something unmistakable.
"He seems like he's on a mission, pitching-wise," Friedman said. "Whenever we've seen him on a mission, good things happen."
Friedman watched it happen in 2024. With pitching off the table due to injury, Ohtani went all-in on baserunning, more than doubled his previous career high in stolen bases, joined the 50/50 club, and became the first designated hitter to win an MVP. Now he's got the same look, but this time his target is the pitcher's mound. "There's no ceiling with him," Friedman said. And in April, that ceiling is starting to feel a lot like Cy Young territory.
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