Shohei Ohtani suffered a loss after 768 days! He was hit hard in the 4th inning and criticized himself as "embarrassing."

The Los Angeles Dodgers' two-way star Shohei Ohtani started as pitcher today (21st) against the Colorado Rockies, delivering his worst performance of the season. Acting as both pitcher and leadoff hitter, he lasted only 4 innings, throwing 66 pitches while giving up 9 hits and 5 runs, striking out 3 batters. His ERA rose to 4.61. The Dodgers ultimately lost 3-8 to the last-place Rockies in the National League West, and Ohtani took his first loss in 768 days. After the game, Ohtani expressed strong dissatisfaction with his pitching, even calling it an "embarrassing performance."

In the fourth inning, Ohtani faced a tense moment. Rockies batter Orlando Arcia hit a hard ground ball that struck Ohtani’s right thigh. Fortunately, he completed the inning and continued to bat in the fifth. Ohtani later revealed that the hit spot was close to where he had been hit by a pitch previously, but it doesn’t seem to be a major issue. “I will treat it well and aim to return to game shape as soon as possible,” he added. “Luckily, it wasn’t the knee, so it’s not the worst-case scenario. I will monitor my recovery carefully in the coming days.”

When discussing his pitching, Ohtani appeared quite self-critical. “I just feel sorry for the team and very disappointed in my own performance. You could say it was an embarrassing outing.” He said that although he noticed during pregame warm-ups that the ball behaved differently at the high-altitude Coors Field compared to sea level, that is no excuse. “If I get another chance to start here, I must review my performance thoroughly and improve for next time.”

Regarding whether the high altitude affected his stamina, Ohtani flatly denied it. “It was purely a pitching issue on my part. When things aren’t going well on the mound, making more adjustments or changes might lead to a different outcome.”

Since returning to the mound on June 17, Ohtani has made 10 starts this season, recording 0 wins and 1 loss, pitching 27.1 innings with 35 strikeouts, an ERA of 4.61, and a batting average against of .278. This game also marked Ohtani’s first loss since joining the Dodgers; his last loss was on July 15, 2023, when he was still with the Angels.