Shohei Ohtani may be on his way to more history with a 0.82 ERA and a Cy Young
If it seems like there’s a new surprising fact about Shohei Ohtani every few days, that’s because there is.
Ohtani is a one-of-a-kind player, someone who has already accomplished almost everything a player can achieve in Major League Baseball.
He won back-to-back World Series championships after joining the Los Angeles Dodgers before the 2024 season. He won three consecutive MVP awards, becoming the first player ever to win multiple MVPs in different leagues. His most recent win, in the 2025 season, made him the second player ever to win four MVP awards, along with Barry Bonds.
Ohtani won the Rookie of the Year award in 2018 with the Los Angeles Angels. Then followed by being selected to five straight All-Star teams. He won the Silver Slugger four times. He was named to six consecutive All-MLB first teams.
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Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers celebrates after hitting a home run during the seventh inning against the Toronto Blue Jays in game three of the 2025 World Series at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, Calif., on Oct. 27, 2025. (Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
In 2024, Ohtani had the most offensive single season in baseball history, becoming the first player to hit more than 50 home runs and steal more than 50 bases. And it was not close; he finished with 54 runs and 59 steals. Oh, and he hit .310, with a .390 on-base percentage and a .646 slugging percentage. Good for 79 runs of production above the average player, per FanGraphs.
He then followed it up in 2025 by scoring another 55 runs, setting a new career high. All while returning to the mound for the first time since 2023, posting a 2.87 ERA and 1.90 FIP, with 62 strikeouts in 47 innings and a 1.9 wins above replacement.
What could be given up to accomplish? Just one thing: the Cy Young Award. And after yet another dominant start Wednesday night, Ohtani may be on his way to making more history there as well.
Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Shohei Ohtani walks to the dugout against the Toronto Blue Jays during the fifth inning in Game 4 of the World Series in Los Angeles, Calif., on Oct. 28, 2025. (Brynn Anderson/AP Photo)
Ohtani faced the San Francisco Giants at Dodger Stadium on Wednesday, and he was strong again. He went seven shutout innings, allowing just four hits and two walks, while striking out eight batters. The performance lowered his ERA during May to an impressive 0.82.
It’s still very early. The Dodgers have played 43 of 162 games, which means just over 73% of the season remains. But if the season ended today, it’s hard to argue with Ohtani as the National League Cy Young winner. And if that happens, it will be the latest in a long list of historic achievements for baseball’s greatest player.
Ohtani, if he were to win, would become the first player ever to win MVP as both a hitter and a pitcher. He would become the first player to ever win multiple MVP awards, and win the Cy Young. There have been 11 pitchers who have won the Cy Young and MVP in the same season, but no pitcher has ever won a second MVP. Even his manager and colleagues are talking about it.
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“Like I’ve said for a long time, he’s a different person when he hits,” manager Dave Roberts said after the 4-0 Giants win. “I think he wants to win the Cy Young. I think that helps the Dodgers, too, in 2026. If he plays, I just say let him go and…he’s in the zone.”
Santiago Espinal, who hit a home run to give LA the lead, added, “When he pitches, everybody expects Cy Young. When he hits, everybody expects MVP and all that stuff. That’s what he showed tonight. He’s just Cy Young-caliber.”
Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Shohei Ohtani delivers a pitch against the Toronto Blue Jays during the first inning of Game 7 of the World Series in Toronto on Nov. 1, 2025. (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP)
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Again, there is still a long way to go. And the National League has several other pitchers with good starts to the 2026 season. Defending Cy Young winner Paul Skenes has seen his ERA drop from 1.97 in 2025 to … 1.98 so far in 2026. Christopher Sanchez has been excellent again, and Jacob Misiorowski has remained untouchable with 14 strikeouts in nine innings.
But it’s yet another reminder that what Ohtani is doing, day in and day out, has never actually happened. The top five pitchers in the sport, and the top two or three hitters. At the same time. It’s amazing, and his already somewhat impressive career could become even more historic this year.
