The Los Angeles Dodgers’ two-way star, Shohei Ohtani, stepped onto the mound at Dodger Stadium on Monday night. Fans and analysts were hyped for the night, as this was his first pitching outing since August 2023, carrying a lot of expectations from his peers and followers.
However, the night wasn’t as spectacular as the fans wanted it to be, as Ohtani’s performance was decent at best. As usual, when their expectations weren’t met, people jumped on the internet to mock the baseball star.

Shohei Ohtani’s Performance Against Padres Triggered Fan Trolls
Ohtani’s much-hyped return to pitching wasn’t as peak as fans had expected. The Talkin’ Baseball podcast’s official X handle made a post on X with the caption, “Shohei Ohtani’s day is done on the mound: 1.0 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 0 K.”
Facing the San Diego Padres, Ohtani struggled from the start. Fernando Tatís Jr. greeted him with a bloop single, followed by Luis Arráez’s line-drive hit. A wild pitch and a disputed call on Manny Machado, who avoided a strikeout on a two-strike swing, led to a sacrifice fly that scored the game’s first run.
Ohtani’s fastball touched 100.2 mph, but his 28-pitch inning ended with groundouts from Gavin Sheets and Xander Bogaerts. One X user took advantage of the situation and replied to Talking Baseball’s post, saying, “Don’t let this distract you from the fact that he has the same ERA as Kiké Hernández.”
don’t let this distract you from the fact that he has the same ERA as Kike Hernandez
— Pfaadt Is Better (@PfaadtIsBetter) June 17, 2025
That wasn’t the end, another fan added, “Shohei Ohtani Career ERA: 3.01 Shohei Ohtani 2025 ERA: 9.00 This is y’all’s GOAT? Seems like a FRAUD to me!” The troll train continued as another fan replied, “All that hype just to throw 28 pitches and a rough 1 inning.”
The Dodgers used Ohtani as an opener, which was a step taken in caution due to his recovery from a second ulnar collateral ligament surgery 21 months ago. His transition from mound to batter’s box was technically seamless but had some rough patches.
After his inning, he swapped gear and faced Padres ace Dylan Cease without practice swings, striking out in his first at-bat but later going 2-for-4 with two RBIs in the Dodgers’ 6-3 win. Ohtani’s choice to pitch and hit in the same game came from his belief that it’s less taxing than pre-game pitching sessions followed by designated hitter duties.
Ohtani’s two-way prowess from 2021 to 2023, when his slashing was .277/.379/.585 with 124 home runs, and he posted a 2.84 ERA with 542 strikeouts over 428 innings, set a high bar for him.
Though his recent performance showed some rust, the Dodgers do believe that it was due to his injury and the long period of being out of the action. Fans may mock the Hernandez comparison now, but Ohtani’s track record suggests he could soon turn the tables and make a grand comeback.