Sho-time at Dodger Stadium as Ohtani makes his long-awaited return to the mound after elbow surgery

LOS ANGELES — Shohei Ohtani gave up a pair of two-strike hits and a run in his Los Angeles Dodgers pitching debut against the San Diego Padres on Monday night, 21 months after the two-way superstar had elbow surgery.

Ohtani threw 28 pitches — 16 for strikes — in the first inning as the sellout crowd of 53,207 hung on every one. They oohed when a fastball was clocked at 100.2 mph — the second-hardest pitch thrown by a Dodgers hurler this season.

''I was aiming to sit 95-96," Ohtani said through a translator, ''but the game intensity really allowed me to throw a little harder.''

Ohtani said his nerves were "definitely a little bit more than when I was solely a position player.''

After retiring Xander Bogaerts on a grounder for the third out, Ohtani walked over to an umpire who checked his hands and glove. He didn't enter the dugout. Instead, he put on his batting gloves and other equipment near the railing and walked to the on-deck circle to prepare to lead off the bottom of the first.

Ohtani struck out swinging against Padres starter Dylan Cease, but then tied the score at 1 with a run-scoring double to left-center in the third. The three-time MVP added a two-out RBI single that gave the Dodgers a 5-2 lead in the fourth on the way to a 6-3 victory. He finished 2 for 4 with a walk and two strikeouts at the plate.

Ohtani anticipates pitching once a week going forward.

''But I did hit 100 (mph) today, so I want to see first where my body feels and how it reacts," he said. "But the expectation is for me to go once a week. Hopefully to be able to go a little longer every time I'm out there so that the bullpen won't be so taxed.''

Ohtani faced Fernando Tatis Jr., Luis Arráez, Manny Machado, Gavin Sheets and Bogaerts in the first. Tatis flared a single to center field and went to second on Ohtani's wild pitch. Arráez singled and Machado's sacrifice fly scored Tatis. Sheets and Bogaerts grounded out.

''Stuff looked electric,'' Dodgers teammate Max Muncy said, ''but when you haven't pitched in that long of a time and you don't really get a chance to do any rehab games, maybe the command isn't going to be there and that's kind of what we saw tonight.''

Anthony Banda replaced Ohtani on the mound in the second.

''I think I got the best seat in the house to watch it and to watch this guy start and then take an at-bat,'' Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said before the game. ''This is bananas. I'm thrilled.''

Major League Baseball made the game available for free on streaming site MLB.tv.

The Japanese right-hander was pitching in a big league game about three weeks after facing hitters in simulated at-bats for the first time. All the while, Ohtani was still wielding his powerful bat in the lineup for the NL West leaders.

''It got to the point where, hey, it feels like we should take that next step and almost look to finish the rehab at the major league level because of the taxing nature of what he was doing,'' Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes said.

Typically, pitchers returning from injuries go on minor league rehab assignments, but Ohtani is an exception.

''It's been really encouraging overall the way he's bounced back and been able to continue to feel good doing both,'' Gomes said.

Gomes acknowledged the team is in a unique situation, trying to balance Ohtani's offensive prowess with his pitching ability while erring on the side of caution.

''We don't know how he's going to come out, if his legs are going to be tired. We have to make sure that we're also keeping one of our best hitters in the lineup,'' Gomes said. ''It has to be an ongoing conversation and making sure that Shohei is the one driving this conversation.''

Ohtani began the night batting .290 with 25 homers, which led the National League, 41 RBIs and 11 stolen bases in the leadoff spot.

While Ohtani won't be throwing deep into games at first, just his presence on the mound figures to bolster a staff that has been decimated by injuries. The Dodgers have eight starters, including Tyler Glasnow, Blake Snell and Japanese phenom Roki Sasaki, and six relievers on the injured list.

Ohtani is already on the roster as the designated hitter, so the Dodgers are essentially adding an extra pitcher without having to make a corresponding roster move.

Ohtani helped the Dodgers win their eighth World Series title — and his first — last season, the first of a $700 million, 10-year contract. He earned his third MVP award and first in the National League.

He hadn't pitched since 2023 with the Los Angeles Angels. He was 10-5 with a 3.14 ERA and 167 strikeouts in 23 starts that season. His last mound appearance was on Aug. 23, 2023, when he got hurt during an outing against Cincinnati.

Ohtani had Tommy John surgery on Oct. 1, 2018, and is recovering from a second major operation on his right elbow Sept. 19, 2023.

''I'm just really grateful," he said. "Reflecting back on all the support that I received from the doctors that operated on me, the support staff, the team and everybody who supported me along the way. I'm just grateful that, aside from the results, to be able to show and be grateful for the moment I had.''

Ohtani's pitching debut for the Dodgers came on the same day his former interpreter reported to federal prison in Pennsylvania. Ippei Mizuhara received a nearly five-year sentence for bank and tax fraud after he stole almost $17 million from Ohtani.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb