Sep 23, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher/designated hitter Shohei Ohtani against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
PHILADELPHIA — Walker Buehler was teammates with Shohei Ohtani a year ago on the Los Angeles Dodgers when they won the World Series. Now a Phillie, Buehler had a pretty simple answer when asked to reflect on what makes Ohtani so special ahead of his Game 1 NLDS start.
"You know, I think sometimes the best answers are the simplest. He hit 50 homers and he throws, 100 [mph]," Buehler said. "Whatever kind of perspective on it I think is a little silly when the answer is kind of very simple."
Buehler is right, so let's boil down Ohtani's greatness in its simplest terms: He's about to become the second player in MLB history to win four league MVPs, this his second in as many seasons in the NL. The only other player in MLB history with four or more MVPs is Barry Bonds, who won the senior circuit's top honor seven times. Ohtani isn't the same level of dominant hitter that Bonds was at the height of his powers, but he has hit 50 home runs in consecutive seasons. Bonds' record of seven MVPs once seemed untouchable, but it wouldn't be wise to bet against Ohtani one day matching it.
That's because, as Buehler put it, Ohtani can also throw 100 mph. He finished fourth in AL Cy Young Award voting as a member of the Los Angeles Angels in 2022. He missed all of the 2024 season as a pitcher as he recovered from his second major elbow surgery, but returned to the mound in 2025. In addition to leading the NL in runs scored, slugging percentage, OPS and total bases offensively, Ohtani also posted a 2.87 ERA over 47 innings on the mound.
Ohtani didn't return to pitching until June, and only threw six innings once — his final start of the regular season on Sept. 23. But there's reason to believe the hard-throwing righty is peaking at the right time, as he didn't allow a run over 14 2/3 innings in September. That included a five-strikeout performance against the Phillies at Dodger Stadium on Sept. 16, one where Ohtani didn't allow a hit across five frames.
"A couple weeks ago was probably his best start of the year," Phillies manager Rob Thomson said Friday. "He was, I mean, phenomenal. It's the combination of power, control, command stuff. He was really good. He was pumping strikes. It was 98, 99 [mph] and the secondary pitchers are all way above average. So if he's doing that, it's a tough task."
Shohei Ohtani knows Phillies fans are passionate, and he knows the atmosphere will be “passionate and rocking.”
He ALSO knows the cheesesteaks in the visitor’s clubhouse are great😂
(via @GraceDelPizzo) pic.twitter.com/InEblx6qkh
Ohtani has already accomplished enough as a pro for there to be a very strong argument that he's the greatest baseball player of all time. But the Angels never reached the postseason during his six seasons with the Halos, and he wasn't able to pitch a year ago. So not only will this be Ohtani's first ever start at Citizens Bank Park, but the first postseason start of his career.
When asked about his first time taking the mound in October, Ohtani was succinct.
"I'm just really looking forward to it," Ohtani said Friday via an interpreter.
He elaborated slightly when asked about whether he feeds off of coming into hostile environments — which Citizens Bank Park certainly will be Saturday night — and performing.
"I'm sure I'll be nervous at times, but more than that, I'm just really grateful that I get to play baseball at this time of the year," Ohtani said. "Just being healthy is really important to me, so I'm just really grateful for that."
Dodgers' president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said this week that Los Angeles views Ohtani as "just a normal starting pitcher" now that he's this far removed from the second elbow procedure, which he underwent in September of 2023.
Will there be any limitations on Shohei Ohtani as a starter in Game 1 of the NLDS?
Andrew Friedman: "I just think he's a normal starting pitcher now. Kind of eased him along. Just a normal starting pitcher."
Based on that answer from Friedman, Ohtani was asked Friday about potentially pitching on short rest and/or coming out of the bullpen at some point this series.
"The principle that I follow is hitting-wise, pitching-wise it's really up the coaching staff to make the determination of when to pitch," Ohtani said. "My intention as a starting pitcher is to go five, six innings. And if the coaching staff thinks that I'll somewhat be able to be utilized in different situations, then I'll be ready for that."
From here, it feels unlikely that the Dodgers will extend Ohtani to 110+ pitches in Game 1, the way we've seen Tarik Skubal and Garrett Crochet used this postseason. They are both just pitchers, and neither has had two major elbow surgeries. Then again, would it really surprise you if the first time that Ohtani pitches into the seventh inning in more than two years comes in his first career playoff start?
Whenever it is that Ohtani exits as a pitcher, the Phillies will still have to deal with him as the DH for the remainder of the game. Beginning in 2022 — almost singularly with Ohtani in mind — MLB changed their rulebook to allow a player that's the starting pitcher and DH to remain in the game as a hitter after they stop pitching. Heck, even if Ohtani struggles on the mound, he could still hit two home runs and win the game for the Dodgers. The term "generational talent" gets thrown around far too often in sports now, but it certainly applies to Ohtani. Truthfully, it may be underselling him to assume that every generation is going to have an ace pitcher that also hits 50 home runs.
The test for the Phillies in this series will be to hold Ohtani in check. He's almost certainly not going to lay an egg on the mound, but can the Phillies knock him out after five innings? Chances are, he's going to have a big hit or two in the NLDS. But can the Phillies — specifically at Citizens Bank Park, where Ohtani has never homered and has an uncharacteristic .661 OPS in 12 career games — keep him from delivering so many big hits that he sends them home prematurely?
Saturday will probably be the biggest test this series of the Phillies' ability to bend, but not break against Ohtani.
"I'm sure there's pros and cons on both sides, as a pitcher and hitter, facing me [recently]. Having the history just provides some context," Ohtani said. "We're gonna find out tomorrow."
