Ohtani Shohei, a star in Major League Baseball, threw 25 pitches during bullpen practice, which is the most since he had elbow surgery a year ago.
This season, Ohtani is playing for the Los Angeles Dodgers as a designated hitter. In an effort to become a two-way player again, he has also been honing his pitching skills.
After a second surgery in September of last year to repair a ligament in his right elbow, Ohtani’s rehabilitation got underway.
In March of this year, he picked up the game of catch again. In August, he began working on his pitching in the bullpen and gradually increased the distance.
Before a game against the Braves in Atlanta on Saturday, Ohtani had his first bullpen workout in four days. He had practiced in the bullpen six times since the surgery.
He threw 25 pitches, including breaking balls, in the bullpen after throwing and fielding roughly 60 balls.
He occasionally looked up data from the pitches, and after delivering a strong pitch to end the session, he seemed pleased with the outcome.
His fastballs were reportedly as fast as 149.6 kilometers per hour, according to the team.
As the next phase of his recovery, Ohtani is anticipated to start practicing pitching against batters during the season.
