Los Angeles Dodger Hyeseong Kim moved to center field during Wednesday’s win over the Giants, and more than just baseballs came his way.
In the middle of two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani’s first start of 2026, a beach ball found its way over the center field fence and into the field of play. Kim needed a couple of tries to get the ball back to the fans who lost it, delaying Ohtani’s start for a brief moment.
Ohtani didn’t seem fazed by the issue, though, as he had quite the outing despite the disturbance.
The right-hander — who has maintained his form despite having not pitched competitively all year — threw 4.1 innings in the outing, holding the Giants to just one hit and no runs. He also struck out four batters in the outing and reached 61 pitches.
The Dodgers went on to win the game, 5-1, largely in part to Ohtani’s efforts on the mound. Ohtani didn’t bat in the game, but will make his first appearance in the lineup since returning from the WBC on Friday against the San Diego Padres.
Kim also had a decent game, stepping up yo the plate two times and going 1-for-2 with a single. He’s had a fantastic spring training, slashing .435/.480/.565 through eight appearances. The Dodgers got a minor injury scare when Kim had to sit out for a game due to a hand injury, but the utility man is clearly ready to go.
Will Ohtani be Ready to Start in the Regular Season?
While his lack of starts before the regular season begins could be troubling, Ohtani — as well as the Dodgers’ — seems to have faith in the right-hander.
“I’d properly done live BP too. In that sense, even though today was my first game as an extension of that, I didn’t really feel like it was my first time, so I was able to pitch without that sensation. I think I was able to get into it in a natural way,” Ohtani said.
“Overall, I was able to throw a good number of pitches, so that was the best part. After two strikes, I think there were spots where I could have gotten the strikeout a bit more firmly, so that’s probably the one area I need to work on.”
On top of that, Manager Dave Roberts said Ohtani will be available to pitch three to four innings to kick off 2026.
Do you think Shohei Ohtani is ready to start the season? Or does he need more time?
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