PHOENIX -- Shohei Ohtani 's return to pitching has been a strictly regimented process, so much so that his previous start ended at five innings despite the fact that he had thrown only 68 pitches and not allowed a hit.

That decision did not go down particularly well with Dodgers fans or the baseball world at large, especially because the bullpen immediately coughed up the lead. But it led to manager Dave Roberts and the coaching staff having conversations with Ohtani about pitching deeper into games.

The Dodgers, at one point, envisioned capping Ohtani at five innings on the mound for the entire 2025 campaign. But on Tuesday night at Chase Field , they gave the two-way superstar an extended leash. Ohtani struck out eight against zero walks and scattered five hits across six scoreless

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