Why MLB’s Future Hinges On Shohei Ohtani’s Return To Pitching

“There are only two seasons – winter and baseball,” Bill Veeck once said. But is that really true anymore? For some, baseball has lost its charm, with its long hours and slow play struggling to keep up with today’s TikTok-fueled attention spans. Meanwhile, the NFL dominates the American sports landscape, and even the Super Bowl has become more about Taylor Swift sightings than football itself. But just when Major League Baseball seemed at risk of fading into the background, a Japanese superstar in Los Angeles is single-handedly keeping the sport relevant.

Buckle up, because it’s Sho-time.

The Ohtani Effect: Beyond Just a Star Player

Shohei Ohtani’s first season with the Dodgers was nothing short of jaw-dropping. Despite being relegated to a designated hitter role while recovering from elbow surgery, he somehow outperformed himself offensively. Playing a career-high 159 games, Ohtani founded the exclusive 50/50 club—smashing 54 home runs and stealing 59 bases, surpassing Alex Rodriguez’s legendary 42/46 season in 1998. He was already the most electrifying player in baseball. But let’s be real: it’s his ability to dominate on both sides of the game that makes him a generational talent.

Now, with a return to the mound in sight, Ohtani stands on the precipice of redefining baseball once again. And let’s not sugarcoat it—Major League Baseball desperately needs him to do so.

Why MLB Needs Ohtani More Than Ever

Viewership is down. Attendance is slipping. And America’s so-called pastime is struggling to remain, well, America’s pastime. The younger demographic isn’t tuning in like they used to, and despite the pitch clock and other pace-of-play changes, baseball still feels too slow for the modern sports fan.

Enter Ohtani.

The moment Ohtani picks up the ball again, he becomes the biggest draw in the sport—no, scratch that—the biggest draw in all of sports. He’s the only player who can consistently dominate as both a pitcher and a hitter, something not even Babe Ruth could sustain long-term. But this isn’t just about individual brilliance. MLB has pinned its hopes on Ohtani to reignite interest in the game. And so far, the numbers don’t lie:

In 2024 alone, regular-season viewership spiked 18%, with Asian audiences increasing by a staggering 32% (SportsPro).
Ohtani’s presence in the postseason set record viewership numbers, with an average of 2.9 million tuning in for Game 5 of the Dodgers-Yankees World Series matchup.
Merchandise sales? Ohtani’s jersey is the hottest item in MLB, outselling the next closest player by a significant margin.

Baseball isn’t dying—it’s just waiting for its superhero to put the cape back on.

The Journey Back to the Mound

The road to Ohtani’s return as a two-way player has been anything but smooth. When he first arrived in the U.S. in 2018, skeptics doubted he could handle both pitching and hitting in the MLB. Those doubts seemed justified when Tommy John surgery took him off the mound early in his career. By 2020, a COVID-shortened season and ongoing injuries had fans questioning whether he’d ever live up to his full potential.

Then came 2021.

Ohtani pitched, hit, and absolutely demolished expectations, winning his first unanimous AL MVP award. He did it again in 2023. Now, after another elbow surgery and a blockbuster move to the Dodgers, the countdown to his 2025 return to pitching has begun.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has hinted at a May 2025 timeline for his return to the mound. Before that, he’ll take a nostalgic trip back to Japan for the season opener against the Chicago Cubs at the Tokyo Dome on March 18-19. While he’s not scheduled to pitch in those games, the spectacle of Ohtani returning to the very stadium where he first launched a baseball through the roof in 2016 will be enough to send fans into a frenzy.

MLB’s Rule Changes: The Ohtani Effect

Coincidence or not, MLB recently tweaked its rules regarding two-way players, making it easier for Ohtani to qualify. The league’s official stance is that the change isn’t specifically for him, but let’s be honest—who else is this for? MLB is desperately trying to cultivate more Ohtanis, more players capable of doing what hasn’t been seen in nearly a century. And while it’s doubtful that anyone will replicate his success anytime soon, the mere fact that MLB is changing rules in response to one player speaks volumes.

The Curse of the Angels… and Why It Made Him Better

Love them or hate them (and let’s be real, it’s mostly the latter), the Los Angeles Angels played an unintentional but crucial role in shaping Ohtani’s career. When he made the jump to MLB, he had offers from powerhouse franchises like the Yankees, Dodgers, and Cubs. Instead, he chose the underachieving Angels—a decision that baffled many.

Why? Because they were the only team willing to let him call the shots.

The Angels allowed Ohtani to craft his own schedule, balancing pitching and hitting in a way no other organization was willing to attempt. The results? Two AL MVPs (almost three), record-breaking performances, and the birth of the greatest two-way player in modern baseball history. Of course, the downside was that the Angels were a complete disaster, failing to make the playoffs even once during Ohtani’s tenure. But without that experience—without the freedom to experiment—would he be the player he is today?

Unlikely.

The Dodgers Are MLB’s Supervillains… And That’s a Good Thing

If baseball is a movie, the Dodgers are the big-money villain—the empire that always wins. They flexed their financial muscle with a record-breaking $700 million contract for Ohtani and added Japanese stars Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Shōta Imanaga to the mix. With a rotation stacked with Cy Young candidates and a lineup featuring Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman, the Dodgers aren’t just a team; they’re an inevitability.

But as much as you might hate them, the Dodgers’ dominance is good for baseball. A super-team led by Ohtani forces other franchises to step up, creating rivalries and drama that drive fan engagement. Just wait until the inevitable Dodgers-Yankees World Series showdown. Love them or loathe them, the Dodgers—led by Ohtani—are the best thing to happen to MLB in years.

Buckle Up, It’s Sho-Time

Shohei Ohtani’s return to pitching isn’t just about adding another layer to his greatness—it’s about saving baseball. With declining interest and a sport struggling to stay relevant in the fast-paced digital age, MLB needs a transcendent figure. Ohtani isn’t just a superstar; he’s a movement. His ability to do what no one else can makes him the most important player in the game, and perhaps, in all of sports.

So as May 2025 approaches, get ready. Baseball will never be the same again.

Because when Shohei Ohtani takes the mound once more, it won’t just be a game.

It will be an event.