Dodgers camp stories: Shohei Ohtani’s first bullpen of the spring draws a crowd
by Cary Osborne
The anticipation for Shohei Ohtani’s first Spring Training bullpen session at Camelback Ranch in Glendale, Arizona was palpable. Fans lined two sides of fences, rows deep — one fan wearing a full Ohtani Dodgers uniform, pants included. Dozens of media and cameras lined the other side on Saturday.
“No,” manager Dave Roberts answered on if he had ever seen this kind of attention for a first Spring Training bullpen. “There’s a lot of things since we signed Shohei that I haven’t seen around a baseball field.”
Ohtani threw 20 pitches, with Roberts saying he hit between 92–94 mph. After each pitch, a curious Ohtani looked for feedback from technology and Rob Hill, the Dodgers’ director of Minor League pitching.
Ohtani took live BP for the first time on a field at the Camelback Ranch complex on Feb. 16, 2024, and unleashed a powerful display that drew oohs and aahs from fans.
Nearly one year later, the distinctive sound wasn’t so much fans’ voices but the pop sound in catcher Will Smith’s glove.
Ohtani threw only fastballs.
“I’ve seen him throw a handful of bullpens, but to see him here in spring training alongside other pitchers, to see him just as a pitcher in that particular moment was a reality check,” Roberts said. “For me, it was kind of just different seeing him in this context and see other pitchers watch him and dap him up after his pen. It was good to see.”
The plan for Ohtani the pitcher is fluid. There is no set date on when he faces hitters, though Roberts said it is feasible he could do that before the team heads to Tokyo to open the season on March 18. That would likely be a live batting practice against Dodger hitters. He won’t pitch in a Cactus League game. There is no set date on when he pitches in a Major League game as a Dodger for the first time.
Saturday, therefore, was a building block.
“The ball was coming out really good. So I think he seemed pretty pleased with it,” Roberts said. “And the command was really good. … So really positive day for Shohei.”
Camp stories: Shohei Ohtani’s first bullpen of the spring draws a crowd was originally published in Dodger Insider on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.