Sports
Shohei Ohtani misses pitching, but is DH-only role boosting his plate production?
NEW YORK — Nine months since his last time atop a big league mound, there is one thing about pitching Shohei Ohtani misses most.
The nerves.
“There’s a distinct nervousness on start days,” Ohtani said in Japanese on Monday, after updating reporters on the latest in his progression back from his second Tommy John surgery last year.
“I think that’s the same for everyone,” he added. “There’s a nervousness. So if I have to say whether I miss it — I miss it.”
For now, it’s a feeling Ohtani will have to continue to do without.
In his first year with the Dodgers, he has faced plenty of other pressure over the season’s first couple of months.
As a hitter, Ohtani has thus far delivered on the expectations that came with his staggering $700 million offseason contract.
Entering Monday, he was leading the majors in batting average (.336), the National League in slugging percentage (.621) and OPS (1.024), and was emerging as an early-season MVP frontrunner, with only teammate Mookie Betts holding shorter betting odds currently.
Off the field, the two-way star has also navigated the gambling and theft scandal involving his former interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara — a situation that remains a topic of questioning in Ohtani’s sporadic media availabilities.
“I don’t think the mental side affects my play,” Ohtani said. “I think that as long as you have solid technique, you can hit regardless of your mental state. I want to separate that [off-the-field problems] from what I have to do on the field.
In recent weeks, Ohtani has played through a couple minor injuries, too.
Earlier this month, he was battling back tightness that forced him to miss one game. Then, last week, he was hit in the back of the leg by a pickoff throw at first base, resulting in a right hamstring contusion that has limited his ability to run full speed on the bases.
Manager Dave Roberts said over the weekend that Ohtani is playing at about 90% physically right now, though Ohtani noted Monday that his hamstring is “getting better day by day” and hasn’t been impacting his swing.
“I think the condition is improving,” Ohtani said. “I don’t feel my pivot foot has been affected much [in my swing].”
Still, pitching has been the missing piece of Ohtani’s season so far, with the two-time MVP remaining limited to moderate-intensity catch play of about 60-70 throws every other day.
Ohtani hit a milestone last week, clocking 80 mph in his flat-ground throwing drills from 60 feet.
But, with Ohtani not expected to complete his recovery as a pitcher until next season, he said he’d “like to take [the progression] step by step, and take the next step without any feeling of panic.”
Shohei Ohtani throws before a game between the Dodgers and Angels at Dodger Stadium on March 25.
(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)
There could, of course, be a silver lining to Ohtani’s inability to pitch this year. Entering the season, some Dodgers officials and industry evaluators believed that, as a designated hitter only, Ohtani could achieve even more production at the plate than he did during his final three seasons in Anaheim, when he was twice an MVP winner.
So far, Ohtani’s hot start has given that dynamic increasing credence. The 29-year-old is not only holding career-highs in batting average, slugging percentage and OPS, but is also setting personal bests in underlying metrics such as average exit velocity (94.8 mph), hard-hit percentage (he is hitting 59.3% of his batted balls more than 95 mph) and strikeout rate (19.2%, by far a career low).
Plus, he has become more of a stolen base threat, tied for eighth in the majors with 13 steals already.
So, is Ohtani’s ability to devote more focus to just the offensive side of his game leading to better results?
The player wasn’t ready to decide Monday.
“Until I finish the season,” Ohtani said, “it’s something I can’t say.”
When posed the same question last week, Roberts gave a more insightful answer. While the manager acknowledged his personal belief that Ohtani’s singular role has bolstered his performance, Roberts also emphasized the team’s plan to use Ohtani as a two-way player again next year.
“Hopefully, when he’s pitching next year, he can mirror somewhat what he’s doing offensively,” Roberts said. “But I think there’s something to just, the kind of focus on the one aspect of the game.”
So far this season, that’s been fine for the Dodgers.
Even without Ohtani on the mound, their starting rotation has been a strength, currently ranking eighth in the majors with a 3.54 ERA. Even with his thunderous bat in the lineup, their offense has been a bigger area of recent concern, going cold during the team’s current five-game losing streak and 7-9 slide in their last 16 games overall — a stretch in which they’ve averaged only 3.5 runs per game.
Ohtani has been part of the problem lately, batting just .211 over his last 10 games.
But given his gaudy overall numbers, his offensive impact on this year’s team remains monstrous.
A return to pitching — and reacquaintance with the pre-start nerves Ohtani has come to miss this year — will have to continue to wait.
Sports
Indiana crushes Oregon to advance to first championship game in program history, stunning sports world
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The 2025 Indiana Hoosiers became the fifth team in modern college football history to go 15-0. Now they can become the first team of the modern era to ever go 16-0, and only the second of all-time, joining an 1894 Yale team that played with leather helmets.
With a merciless 56-22 thumping of Oregon in the Peach Bowl, the Hoosiers punched their ticket to their first national championship game appearance in program history.
Head coach Curt Cignetti has left the college football world breathless with a dramatic turnaround of the Hoosiers program, going from one of the losingest teams in the Big 10 to potentially the most dominant single-season of all time.
Elijah Sarratt #13 of the Indiana Hoosiers is tackled by Ify Obidegwu #7 of the Oregon Ducks during the first quarter in the 2025 College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on January 09, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
Many prominent sports figures took to social media to express their amazement of Indiana’s unprecedented dominance during and after their win over Oregon. Indiana Gov. Mike Braun also chimed in.
Indiana’s Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Fernando Mendoza threw five touchdown passes, improving his case to be the top pick in the upcoming NFL Draft.
Kaelon Black ran for two touchdowns to lead the Indiana running game.
INDIANA WINS FIRST OUTRIGHT BIG 10 FOOTBALL TITLE SINCE 1945 AFTER OHIO STATE FLUBS SHORT FIELD GOAL TRY
Fernando Mendoza #15 of the Indiana Hoosiers is tackled by Aaron Flowers #21 of the Oregon Ducks during the second quarter in the 2025 College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on January 09, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
Oregon (13-2, No. 5 CFP) was doomed by the three first-half turnovers while also being short-handed by the absence of two of their top running backs.
Indiana’s defense didn’t wait long to make an impact. On Oregon’s first snap, cornerback D’Angelo Ponds intercepted Moore’s pass intended for Malik Benson and returned the pick 25 yards for a touchdown. Only 11 seconds into the game, the Hoosiers and their defense already had made a statement this would be a long night for Moore and the Oregon offense.
Moore’s 19-yard scoring pass to tight end Jamari Johnson tied the game. The remainder of the half belonged to Indiana and its big-play defense.
After Mendoza’s 8-yard touchdown pass to Omar Cooper Jr. gave the Hoosiers the lead for good at 14-7, Indiana’s defense forced a turnover when Moore fumbled and Indiana recovered at the Oregon 3, setting up Black’s scoring run.
Moore lost a second fumble later in the second quarter when hit by Daniel Ndukwe and Mario Landino recovered at the Oregon 21. Mendoza’s first scoring pass to Sarratt gave the Hoosiers’ the 35-7 lead.
Indiana extended its lead to 42-7 on Mendoza’s 13-yard scoring pass to E.J. Williams Jr.
Oregon finally answered. A 70-yard run by Hill set up a 2-yard scoring run by Harris.
The Hoosiers led 35-7 at halftime as the Ducks were held to nine rushing yards on 17 carries. Noah Whittington, who leads Oregon with 829 rushing yards, was held out with an undisclosed injury after Jordon Davison, who had rushed for 667 yards and 15 touchdowns, already was listed as out with a collarbone injury.
Backup running backs, including Jay Harris and Dierre Hill Jr, provided too little help for quarterback Dante Moore. Moore’s task against Indiana’s stifling defense would have been daunting even with all his weapons.
Following their undefeated regular season, the Hoosiers have only gained momentum in the CFP. Indiana overwhelmed Alabama 38-3 in the Rose Bowl quarterfinal as Mendoza passed for 192 yards and three touchdowns.
Now, the Hoosiers will prepare to face Miami on Jan. 19 in the national championship game at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens. Miami beat Mississippi 31-27 in the Fiesta Bowl semifinal on Thursday night.
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Roman Hemby #1 of the Indiana Hoosiers runs out of bounds before the endzone against the Oregon Ducks during the second quarter in the 2025 College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on January 09, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)
Indiana will try to give the Big Ten its third straight national title, following Ohio State and Michigan the last two seasons. Few teams from any conference can compare with the Hoosiers’ season-long demonstration of balanced strong play.
The country will be watching to see if this unprecedented team can finish the job and really punch their ticket into the history books.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Before Friday’s Trinity League game at Santa Margarita, Christian Collins of St. John Bosco was dancing to music and looking so comfortable and loose that it was easy to predict he might do something special.
The 6-foot-9 All-American delivered the tying basket at the buzzer to send the game into overtime and scored the clinching basket with six seconds left in the second overtime to lift St. John Bosco to a 74-73 victory in a game that lived up to the hype while producing terrific performances from both teams.
“That really was a high-level game,” St. John Bosco coach Matt Dunn said. “They put us in positions that were really challenging and we did the same. I had so many kids play great.”
The Braves (12-4) had four players score in double figures and battled back from an eight-point deficit in the third quarter. Collins finished with 20 points. Howie Wu, St. John Bosco’s 7-foot center, scored 15 points. Point guard Gavin Dean-Moss had 15 points and Tariq Iscandari added 13 points.
Santa Margarita (19-3) received 29 points from Kaiden Bailey and 20 points from Drew Anderson.
Collins saved St. John Bosco just before the buzzer at the end of regulation, getting an offensive rebound basket to tie the score. Then, with six seconds left in the second overtime and St. John Bosco up by two points, he scored to clinch the victory. A three-pointer at the buzzer by Brayden Kyman meant nothing with a four-point deficit.
“It was really hard to get stops,” Dunn said. “We finally got some.”
After the score was tied at 10, 12, 14, 17 and 19, Santa Margarita was able to take a 36-30 lead at halftime. Anderson had 14 points by then. The Eagles started connecting from three-point range, with four threes in the second quarter. St. John Bosco continued to rely on Collins, who had 10 points but missed six shots.
Drew Anderson of Santa Margarita battles for the loose ball against St. John Bosco.
(Nick Koza)
In the third quarter, Bailey made two threes and Rodney Westmoreland made another for an eight-point Santa Margarita lead. But the Eagles’ success with threes might have been their downfall. They started to rely too much on trying to score from deep, and St. John Bosco kept fighting back.
“I was really proud of our guys,” Dunn said.
Santa Margarita, with four returning starters, was considered the Trinity League favorite. But the play of Wu and Dean-Moss helped take offensive pressure off Collins, who was effective as a passer.
“Howie was great,” Dunn said.
This season the Trinity League will be playing only one round of games and will hold a postseason tournament at Concordia University and Hope University.
After Friday night, the Braves are the team to beat.
Harvard-Westlake 80, Crespi 53: The Wolverines received 26 points from Joe Sterling and 19 points from Pierce Thompson in the Mission League win.
St. Francis 58, Bishop Alemany 45: Cherif Millogo had 30 points, 16 rebounds and seven blocks for the Golden Knights.
Chaminade 55, Loyola 48: Temi Olafisoye contributed 22 points and 20 rebounds to help the Eagles (19-2, 1-1) pick up an important road victory.
La Habra 66, Crean Lutheran 56: The Highlanders (16-5) upset Crean Lutheran in a Crestview League game.
Los Alamitos 80, Marina 60: Tyler Lopez had 21 points and Isaiah Williamson scored 16 in the victory.
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An Olympic medalist and 13-time X Games winner suffered serious head injuries after a stunt went wrong.
Nyjah Huston, who won bronze in Paris in 2024, said he suffered a fractured skull and eye socket.
“A harsh reminder how death-defying skating massive rails can be…” Huston wrote in an Instagram post which included a photo of himself in a hospital bed. “Taking it one day at a time. I hope yall had a better new years then me. We live to fight another day.”
Nyjah Huston of the United States competes in the men’s street prelims during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games at La Concorde 3. (Jack Gruber/USA TODAY Sports)
The post also featured Huston being treated by first responders and friends, along with another photo showing a large black-and-blue mark on Huston’s eye.
Numerous skating legends showed their support for Huston, who is considered one of the best skateboarders in the United States today.
Nyjah Huston of Team USA reacts at the Skateboarding Men’s Street Prelims on day two of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Ariake Urban Sports Park on July 25, 2021, in Tokyo, Japan. (Dan Mullan/Getty Images)
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“Been watching @nyjah grow up into one of the best skaters to ever do it and it amazes me the amount of grit this kid has,” Shaun White shared on his Instagram story, via Pro Football Network. “You got this brother. Heal quick!”
Even Tony Hawk shared well-wishes on Huston’s Instagram post.
“Heavy. Stay strong; we know you’ll be back,” the skateboarding legend wrote.
“Man.. prayers for healing brother!” added Ryan Sheckler.
It is unknown whether Huston was wearing a helmet at the time of the incident.
Nyjah Huston, of the United States, celebrates during the men’s skateboard street final at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Monday, July 29, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
Huston has seven gold medals and five silvers in world championships. He has not competed since the 2024 Olympics, but the California native has his eyes set on the 2028 Games in Los Angeles.
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