When the National League finally adopted the designated hitter in 2022, it immediately changed the daily strategy for managers in a significant and stark way. An entire brand of baseball disappeared and lineups were bolstered by the additional option of having a full-time hitter take swings once required by pitchers. And option is technically the right word because the rule left open the possibility that a game’s starting pitcher would somehow be the best offensive option in that spot in the batting order.
That person, Shohei Ohtani, was plying his talents in the American League at that time and Major League Baseball, in a smart decision, implemented a rule now named after him. The Ohtani Rule allows a pitcher to serve as his own designated hitter and remain in the lineup even after they are removed from the mound.
There are two ways in sports to have a rule named after you. One way is to do something so far outside the norms that they have to address it so it doesn’t happens again. The other is to be so exceptional that they alter the regulations so they can get more of what you do in the game.
Ohtani’s version of load management this season is to patiently wait in the dugout during some of his starts as manager Dave Roberts bats a different Dodger in the dual-threat’s spot. It’s working out remarkably well as Ohtani is embarking on something that looks like not just the best pitching season of his career but of any career.
Where does Ohtani rank on Sports Illustrated’s list of the top 25 players in MLB history?
All he did on Wednesday night with first place on the line against the Padres was toss five scoreless innings to move his ERA to 0.73, the sixth lowest through eight starts since 1920. Oh yeah, he also led off the game with a home run, his eighth of the year, on the first pitch of the game. It was only the second time in MLB history that a starting pitcher has hit a leadoff home run. The other was when Ohtani did it in Game 4 of last year’s National League Championship Series.
Shohei Ohtani hits the first pitch of the game out of the park ☄️ pic.twitter.com/opPe7iogy4
— MLB (@MLB) May 21, 2026
It feels like every other day there’s some stat or tidbit coming across the transom to show just how ridiculous Ohtani is and how regularly he does unprecedented things. Today’s might slip under the radar but when you really think about it, it boggles the mind.
Wednesday was the seventh time, including the postseason, Ohtani has homered in a game where he also posted a scoreless start. It breaks the record previously held by Hall of Famer Bob Gibson, who was an accomplished hitter tasked with taking his own at-bats.
The thing about this latest chart-topping feat is that it really had no business happening. Outside of Ohtani there is absolutely no reason to think Gibson’s record could have ever fallen. We’ll go out on a limb and say that whenever the Dodgers’ superstar hangs up his cleats, this and countless other Herculean feats will live forever without the slightest threat from another player.
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