Shohei Ohtani's 2-Way MLB Dominance Highlighted by Impressive Batting, Pitching Streaks
After making his first start as a pitcher of the 2026 MLB season, Shohei Ohtani now owns the longest active shutout streak and on-base streak dating back to last year.
MLB.com's Sarah Langs pointed out Ohtani has thrown 22.2 consecutive scoreless innings and has reached base in 36 consecutive games, both the longest in the league.
Ohtani extended his scoreless innings streak with six shutout frames in Tuesday's 4-1 win over the Cleveland Guardians. He allowed just one hit and struck out six while throwing 87 pitches.
He also reached base three times in the game, going 1-for-3 with a single and two walks.
Even with those stat lines, Ohtani is having a slow start at the plate by his standards. He doesn't have an extra-base hit in 22 plate appearances through five games, but his six walks lead the NL and have helped him get on base at a .455 clip.
The last time Ohtani failed to reach base in a game was against the San Diego Padres on Aug. 23, 2025. He went 0-for-4 in the Dodgers' 5-1 loss.
Ohtani's slash line since that day is .276/.409/.597 with 11 homers in 165 plate appearances.
The Cincinnati Reds were the last team to score a run against Ohtani when he was on the mound when Noelvi Marte hit a solo homer in the top of the third on Aug. 27, 2025.
Ohtani finished the 2025 regular season with three scoreless outings and picked up right where he left off in his first start this year.
Dodgers players have been vocal about Ohtani's desire to win a Cy Young award, as it's the only major individual honor he has yet to receive in his MLB career.
There is still a lot of time remaining this season, but the first glimpse of Ohtani pitching indicates he's more than capable of being in the mix for the NL Cy Young award.
