The Los Angeles Dodgers’ two-way phenom Shohei Ohtani turned 31 on July 5 and celebrated his birthday by starting game two of the three-game series against the Houston Astros at home in Dodger Stadium on Saturday. The Japanese superstar hit at a new spot in the batting lineup to give him some rest between his pitching and batting outings.
Ohtani has made three starts this season, working his way back from elbow surgery. He pitched one inning in his first start against the San Diego Padres, allowing one run on two hits. In his second start against the Washington Nationals, he pitched one inning and allowed no runs.
He then threw two scoreless innings in his third start against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. In total, he has allowed one run in four innings, walked one, and struck out three in the 2025 campaign.
Roberts Maps Out Ohtani’s Birthday Start
On Friday, ahead of the series opener against the Astros, Dodgers skipper Dave Roberts told the media that Ohtani would make a routine start in game two on Saturday, which fell on his 31st birthday. Roberts said the two-way ace would pitch two innings, taking his current tally to six innings in the 2025 campaign.
This marked the first time in his professional baseball career that Ohtani pitched on his birthday. The three-time MVP took the mound in the current campaign after last pitching in the MLB with the Los Angeles Angels in the 2023 campaign. He had to undergo a surgical procedure on his pitching elbow, which sidelined him from the mound for the entire 2024 season.
Shohei Ohtani is once again doing things we’ve never seen done on the baseball field before
And that extends to his unique pitching rehab assignment too 👀 pic.twitter.com/4XhbfdxajX
— MLB (@MLB) June 27, 2025
The Dodgers are taking a cautious approach with their superstar, gradually building up his workload. Ohtani is steadily increasing his pitch counts and innings overall before he can fully transition into a traditional starter and pitch deep into games. The organization knows they need him healthy for the long haul, especially with October baseball on the horizon.
Dominant at the Plate Despite Pitching Limitations
While Ohtani works his way back on the mound, he has been outstanding at the plate since the beginning of the campaign. He has a .282 batting average, 30 home runs, 56 RBIs, and a 1.006 OPS in 87 games this season. He has amassed 96 hits in 341 at-bats, including 12 doubles and seven triples.
Those numbers put him on pace for another monster season. Ohtani is projected to hit more than 50 home runs and drive in more than 100 runs in 2025. His offensive production has been crucial for a Dodgers team that entered Saturday’s game with a 56-33 record, sitting atop the NL West standings, eight games ahead of the San Diego Padres.
The defending champions had a disastrous start to their three-game series against the Houston Astros on Friday night in LA as the visitors thrashed them 18-1 in the series opener. That lopsided loss put extra pressure on Saturday’s birthday game, with the home crowd rallying behind them as the Dodgers aimed to win the remaining two games of the series.
For Ohtani, the birthday start represented another milestone in his remarkable comeback from surgery. Every inning he throws brings him closer to being the full two-way force that made him the most unique player in baseball. The Dodgers need both versions of their superstar if they want to repeat as World Series champions.