Shohei Ohtani’s last start came on July 3, and the Dodgers’ final game of 2026 ended Thursday with their two-way star waiting in the on-deck circle. Los Angeles fell 6-4 to the Brewers, closing a postseason in which Ohtani could still take his turns at the plate but could not return to the mound.
The result
The loss ended the Dodgers’ season with Ohtani unavailable as a pitcher after left knee inflammation and right biceps inflammation interrupted his year. He was placed on the 15-day injured list in September because of the biceps issue, his first IL stay in almost three years.
There had reportedly been internal consideration of sitting Ohtani during the National League Championship Series against Milwaukee as his health affected his offense as well. Instead, he hit sixth in Game 3. He returned to the leadoff spot for Game 4 and homered.
Ohtani made it clear after Thursday’s defeat that he expects to resume both sides of his game in 2027.
“Yes, definitely,” Ohtani said through interpreter Will Ireton when asked whether he intends to pitch next season. “And looking forward to having a better season next year.”
Whether that return requires an offseason procedure remains unsettled. Ohtani said the matter will be evaluated over the winter, with possible treatment discussed before a decision is made.
“It’s hard to tell at this point,” he said. “It’s something that’s going to be analyzed, discussed over the offseason, and see if that’s a viable thing to do.”
When he was healthy enough to take the ball, Ohtani remained formidable. Across 85 2/3 innings in 2026, he posted a 1.79 ERA and held opposing hitters to a .179 average.
The shape of the season changed after knee pain surfaced on June 11. Over his last four starts, from June 10 through July 3, Ohtani gave up 12 earned runs in 24 2/3 innings. Before that stretch, he had allowed five earned runs over 61 innings.
He said the way his pitching year ended left him short of satisfied, particularly because he could not pitch in October.
“I’m not quite satisfied with how things shaped up on the pitching side at the end of the year,” Ohtani said. “This year, I haven’t pitched, and I haven’t pitched in the postseason. I haven’t been able to really come to grips in terms of what I’ve learned overall this season. It’s something that I’m going to kind of go back to the drawing board in terms of treatment, training program, and see what I can come up with for next season.”
The larger body of work still puts Ohtani in rare company. Among starters with at least 500 innings since the Divisional Era began in 1969, only Jim Palmer, Jacob deGrom and Clayton Kershaw own a career ERA lower than Ohtani’s 2.83. Palmer finished at 2.80, deGrom at 2.73 and Kershaw at 2.53.
Ohtani, a four-time MVP, finished fourth in American League Cy Young Award voting with the Angels in 2022. In Dodgers postseason play, he has struck out 28 hitters in 20 1/3 innings. This October, though, his body did not permit another chapter on the mound. The offseason now will be about building a path back to it.
