In what has been one of the most anticipated days of the year in baseball and especially on the part of the Los Angeles fans, Shohei Ohtani officially returned to the mound to make his debut as a starting pitcher for Dodgers.

Shohei Ohtani, who hadn't pitched in nearly two years because of his second right elbow surgery, pitched one inning allowing two hits and one run in the Dodgers' game against the San Diego Padres on Monday night in Los Angeles.

Ohtani's start was announced as a surprise by manager Dave Roberts on Sunday, explaining that the Japanese star said he felt ready to make the step beyond simulated games.

Ohtani struggled to get the first out, which fell to his 18th pitch on Manny Machado's popup to center field that scored Fernando Tatis on a hit-and-run play to make it 1-0. Tatis had singled and advanced to third on a hit by Luis Arráez.

The Japanese then got Gavin Sheets to ground out to second baseman and Xander Bogaerts to ground out to third to complete the first inning with 28 pitches, two hits and one run. Ohtani showed good velocity, with some of his pitches reaching 100 miles per hour, and decent control. None of the hits against him were really hard.

The fans at Dodger Stadium appreciated Ohtani's effort with an ovation and he, after showing his hands and gloves to the umpire, stayed outside the Dodgers dugout to come to bat immediately as the first in the Los Angeles order. An almost fictional scene.

Ohtani, as a batter, was struck out with the count loaded by Dylan Cease (who struck out his first five opponents), but became the first player since 1953 to bat leadoff in the order and be the starting pitcher for his team.

Anthony Banda relieved Ohtani on the mound for the second inning after what must be considered a successful return to the mound for the most talented player on the planet, whose last appearance as a pitcher was on August 23, 2023, still with the Angels.

In the third inning, Ohtani came to bat with a runner on second base and two outs. The reigning NL MVP, accustomed to doing things no one else can, doubled to drive in Andy Pages with the tying run, 1-1.

San Diego retook the lead in the fourth inning with a run (2-1), but Los Angeles responded immediately and turned the scoreboard around with a two-run single by Max Muncy and a single by Tommy Edman (4-2).

Ohtani, in his third at-bat, punished starter Cease with a line drive to right to drive in his second run of the game, and Mookie Betts was quick to emulate him with another single that extended the home team's lead (6-2) in the fourth inning.

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