In the winter of 2023, Shohei Ohtani captured the attention of baseball fans worldwide by signing an unprecedented 10-year, $700 million contract with the LA Dodgers, marking a new chapter in his career. While he was limited to hitting in the 2024 season due to elbow surgery rehabilitation, he made a sensational impact in his first year with the Dodgers, exceeding all expectations with his dominant performance. In the 2025 season, he finally returned to the mound, heralding the comeback of the true 'two-way player' and leading the Dodgers to the World Series for the second consecutive year. How did Ohtani transform his performance and perfectly adapt to the team in the Dodgers? Let's take a look at his brilliant journey.
In 2024, his first season with the LA Dodgers, Shohei Ohtani focused solely on hitting due to elbow surgery rehabilitation. While many expressed concerns about a new league, team, and post-surgery complications, Ohtani defied these expectations and set historic records. He achieved the first 50-homerun-50-stolen-base season in MLB history (54 home runs, 59 stolen bases), showcasing his prowess as a hitting monster. This proved his explosive potential when he could focus solely on hitting without the burden of pitching and hitting. The Dodgers won the 2024 World Series thanks to Ohtani's performance, fulfilling his 'autumn baseball' wish.
The 2025 season was the year Shohei Ohtani resumed his two-way play in a Dodgers uniform, with fans' expectations at their peak. He returned to the big league mound on June 17, 2025, against the San Diego Padres after 663 days, throwing a fastball at 100.2 mph (approximately 161.3 km), demonstrating his good health. Although he showed some instability in control and breaking balls early in his comeback, and a gradual approach was taken in terms of pitching innings and pitch count management, he regained his pitching sense over time. He established himself as a key starting pitcher for the team, especially by taking the mound in important games.
While resuming his pitching, Shohei Ohtani's hitting stats in the 2025 season were still overwhelming. As of the end of the 2025 regular season (October 19), his final batting stats were a .282 batting average, 55 home runs, 102 RBIs, and a 1.014 OPS, ranking first in the National League OPS, first in runs scored (146 runs), and 20 stolen bases. He hit over 50 home runs for the second consecutive year, solidifying his position as a representative slugger in the MLB. In September 2025, he hit his 100th home run as a member of the Dodgers, laying the foundation to become a team legend. With this performance, he was considered a strong candidate for the 2025 National League MVP and was also nominated for the Silver Slugger, challenging to break the record for the most awards won by a Japanese player.
From the start of his move to the Dodgers, Shohei Ohtani said, "I will act like a rookie because I have joined a new team," and he integrated into the team with a humble and active attitude. His choice of the Dodgers was not just about money, but about a strong goal of 'winning'. In particular, the unconventional 'salary deferral' method, where 97% of his salary was to be paid after the end of the contract, allowed the Dodgers to reduce their luxury tax burden and invest more funds in strengthening their team, demonstrating his strong desire and dedication to winning for the team. This sacrifice and dedication by Ohtani had a positive effect on his teammates, and it also had a significant influence on other promising players such as Japanese pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who chose the Dodgers. He not only performed well but also played an important role in team chemistry, perfectly immersing himself in the Dodgers' winning DNA.
In the 2025 postseason, Shohei Ohtani became the true 'ruler of autumn baseball.' In particular, in Game 4 of the National League Championship Series (NLCS) against the Milwaukee Brewers on October 18 (Korean time), he put on a show that will go down in history. He pitched as a starting pitcher, throwing 100 pitches over 6 innings, allowing 2 hits, 3 walks, 10 strikeouts, and no runs, and in the batting box, he hit as many as 3 home runs, leading the team to a 5-1 victory. MLB.com praised this game as "the best performance in baseball history," and thanks to Ohtani's performance, the Dodgers swept Milwaukee 4-0 and secured their second consecutive World Series appearance. Now, in the World Series against the Toronto Blue Jays, which starts on October 25, 2025, Ohtani is expected to play a key role in leading the Dodgers to a two-peat.
The change in Shohei Ohtani's performance after joining the LA Dodgers and his team adaptation process is a 'success myth' itself. He set historic records as a hitter in 2024 and proved the true value of the 'two-way player' by returning to the mound as a pitcher in 2025. His dedicated attitude and overwhelming skills have led the Dodgers to the World Series for the second consecutive year, giving fans unforgettable emotions. Ohtani has grown into more than just an outstanding player, but a true leader who changes the team's culture and inspires his teammates. His legend with the Dodgers is ongoing, and baseball fans around the world are looking forward to what amazing records he will write in the future.
A1: Shohei Ohtani played as a designated hitter in the 2024 season due to elbow surgery rehabilitation. After that, he resumed his two-way play from the 2025 season and pitched his comeback game on June 17, 2025.
A2: In the 2024 season, Shohei Ohtani achieved the phenomenal record of 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases (54 home runs, 59 stolen bases) for the first time in MLB history.
A3: Shohei Ohtani shared a strong desire to win with the Dodgers, and he agreed to receive most of his salary after the end of the contract so that the team could reduce the luxury tax burden and strengthen its team by recruiting more players. This shows his team-first spirit.
A4: The most impressive game was Game 4 of the National League Championship Series (NLCS) against the Milwaukee Brewers on October 18, 2025 (Korean time). In this game, Ohtani pitched 6 innings scoreless with 10 strikeouts as a starting pitcher and hit 3 home runs in the batting box, putting on a 'one-man show' and securing the team's World Series appearance.
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