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There's nothing like a Two-Way Shohei Day. Literally. So get ready for the first one of the year.
Shohei Ohtani makes his 2026 pitching debut for the Dodgers tonight against the Guardians (10:10 p.m. ET/7:10 p.m. PT), which means we get to see baseball's one and only two-way superstar pitch and hit in the same game for the first time this season. And with Ohtani, that's when the real magic happens.
But let's focus on the pitcher half of Ohtani for today.
Ohtani was electric at Spring Training, with an 11-strikeout performance in his final tuneup before the regular season. Will he be just as nasty tonight? And what new wrinkles will the always-evolving Ohtani have in store for 2026?
Here are three things to watch for when Ohtani takes the mound:
1) Will we see the unhittable Ohtani splitter?
Shohei's splitter used to be his signature pitch. It was maybe the most unhittable pitch in the big leagues when he first arrived in 2018. But his command of it wavered over the years, and by last season, he had all but stopped throwing it. Until the playoffs, that is, when Ohtani brought back his splitter out of nowhere and used it to dominate both the Phillies and the Brewers. He was throwing it pretty regularly this Spring Training (about 15% of the time). If Ohtani can throw the splitter where he wants it during the season, on top of all the other ridiculously nasty pitches he throws, good luck hitting him.
2) Are we going to get more sinkers this season?
Ohtani has toyed with a sinker before, and it's looked ridiculous at times, reaching upwards of 100 mph and moving up to 20 inches horizontally. But he's never really leaned into it, usually letting his normal four-seam fastball do most of the work. There's room for Ohtani to throw the sinker more -- especially as a weapon to attack right-handed hitters inside. And he was finally throwing those sinkers regularly this spring (16% usage), which might be a sign he's ready to let them rip.
3) How will Shohei deploy his breaking balls?
Ohtani's sweeper has been his Old Reliable for the last several years. It's been his No. 1 out pitch by far since the 2022 season, which is when he started to cut down on splitters. But last season, Ohtani introduced a traditional slider alongside his sweeper, and that new slider was one of his best pitches all year. And then on top of all that, as the season went on, he brought his curveball back into the mix -- and that curveball, which Ohtani was throwing harder and with sharper movement than before, quickly became a key weapon against left-handed hitters. So if you're counting, that's now three breaking balls in Ohtani's arsenal. It will be very interesting to watch how he uses all three together in 2026.
