Ohtani faces hitters for 1st time since elbow surgery, throws 22 pitches of live BP at Citi Field

NEW YORK (AP) — Shohei Ohtani took a significant step Sunday toward making his pitching debut for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The two-way superstar faced hitters for the first time since elbow surgery, throwing 22 pitches at Citi Field a few hours before launching a leadoff homer for the NL West-leading Dodgers in a 3-1 loss to the New York Mets.

“I haven’t thrown in a while, so it was nice to be able to feel like I was a pitcher,” Ohtani told reporters after the game through a translator. “I just kind of remembered those days when I used to have a lot of good memories as a pitcher.”

With dozens of reporters watching from the stands, Ohtani threw to five batters in a simulated setting — including teammates Hyeseong Kim and Dalton Rushing.

“I thought it was a good first step," manager Dave Roberts said. "Certainly exciting for all of us.”

Roberts and pitching coach Mark Prior watched closely from the field. Prior said Ohtani's fastball ranged from 94-97 mph, and the right-hander also fired sinkers, cutters, two sweepers and a splitter.

“He threw his arsenal,” Prior said. “The stuff is there.”

Ohtani said he didn't really want to reach 96-97 mph.

"But it’s a good sign that I could hit that,” he added.

Working from the windup and smiling between batters, Ohtani deftly snagged a comebacker, struck out two hitters and walked his final one in a session that lasted about 10 minutes. Kim lined a ball into the right-field corner that likely would have gone for a double or triple.

“He was moving the ball both sides of the plate,” Prior said. “I think he got the awkward swings that you would want to see. You don’t expect perfection the first time out. But I thought overall, again, it was a really good live BP.”

J.T. Watkins, the Dodgers’ game-planning and communication coach, also batted so Ohtani could face a right-handed hitter. Watkins struck out once — and later flipped his bat after drawing a walk.

“Obviously, we were having some fun out there,” Prior said. "I think today was great because (Ohtani) was able to keep the mood light but able to maintain some real stuff. ... He was loose, and it was all free and easy, so that’s always a positive.”

Teammates hooted and hollered from behind the batting cage, keeping the session lighthearted. And even Mets manager Carlos Mendoza came out to watch.

“He’s special," Mendoza said. "He's getting ready to be the leadoff hitter for the Dodgers and four hours before the first pitch, he’s throwing 95, 96 (mph) with a split. He's having fun. Yeah, that’s what the game needs, players like that. It’s just fun to be out there and watch him do his thing.”

About 4 1/2 hours after Ohtani finished up on the mound, he drove Kodai Senga's second pitch 411 feet into the second deck in right field for his 18th home run of the season — tied for most in the majors. It was his 16th career leadoff homer and fourth this year.

Ohtani is recovering from surgery on Sept. 19, 2023, the second major operation on his right elbow since he arrived in the majors from Japan. He hasn’t pitched in a big league game since Aug. 23, 2023, for the Los Angeles Angels.

“It looked good. He looks healthy,” Prior said. “That’s always the main thing with facing hitters, that he just feels confident, feels like his stamina’s good and his endurance is good and he maintained his stuff. So I thought overall from that standpoint, it’s a success. Pitch movement-wise looked great, too. So overall, it was a good outing.”

Roberts speculated that Ohtani, contingent on how he feels, will likely throw a “touch-and-feel” bullpen Wednesday and another round of live batting practice next weekend. The three-time MVP isn’t expected to pitch in a major league game until after the All-Star break in mid-July.

“Still got a long way to go,” Prior said.

Ohtani returned as a hitter last year after signing a then-record $700 million, 10-year contract with the Dodgers as a free agent and won his third MVP award by batting .310 with 54 homers, 130 RBIs and 59 stolen bases.

Following left shoulder surgery on Nov. 4 to repair a labrum tear sustained during the World Series, Ohtani threw four bullpens at spring training from Feb. 15-25, then paused to prepare for opening day as a hitter. He resumed bullpen sessions on March 29.

The designated hitter went into Sunday night's series finale against the Mets batting .296 with 31 RBIs and a 1.020 OPS. He had 11 stolen bases and was leading the majors with 53 runs for the defending World Series champions.

Ohtani is 38-19 with a 3.01 ERA and 608 strikeouts in 481 2/3 innings during five seasons as a big league pitcher. He had Tommy John surgery on his right elbow Oct. 1, 2018, and returned to a major league mound on July 26, 2020, though he was limited to just two starts during the pandemic-shortened season.

Ohtani is one of several high-profile Dodgers pitchers coming back from injuries. Clayton Kershaw made his season debut May 17 after recovering from foot and knee operations, but Blake Snell hasn't pitched since April 2 and Tyler Glasnow since April 27, both due to shoulder inflammation.

AP Baseball Writer Ronald Blum contributed to this report.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani (17), of Japan, throws live batting practice before a baseball game against the New York Mets on Sunday, May 25, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani (17), of Japan, reacts while throwing live batting practice before a baseball game against the New York Mets on Sunday, May 25, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani (17), of Japan, throws live batting practice before a baseball game against the New York Mets on Sunday, May 25, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani (17), of Japan, throws live batting practice before a baseball game against the New York Mets on Sunday, May 25, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani (17), of Japan, throws live batting practice before a baseball game against the New York Mets on Sunday, May 25, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia launched a second major drone and missile bombardment of Ukraine in four days, officials said Tuesday, aiming again at the power grid and apparently snubbing U.S.-led peace efforts as the war approaches the four-year mark.

Russia fired almost 300 drones, 18 ballistic missiles and seven cruise missiles at eight regions overnight, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on social media.

One strike in the northeastern Kharkiv region killed four people at a mail depot, and several hundred thousand households were without power in the Kyiv region, Zelenskyy said. The daytime temperature in the capital was -12 C (around 10 F). The streets were covered with ice, and the city rumbled with the noise from generators.

Four days earlier, Russia also sent hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles in a large-scale overnight attack and, for only the second time in the war, it used a powerful new hypersonic missile that struck western Ukraine in what appeared to be a clear warning to Kyiv’s NATO allies that it won’t back down.

On Monday, the United States accused Russia of a “ dangerous and inexplicable escalation ” of the fighting, when the Trump administration is trying to advance peace negotiations.

Tammy Bruce, the U.S. deputy ambassador to the United Nations, told an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council that Washington deplores “the staggering number of casualties” in the conflict and condemns Russia’s intensifying attacks on energy and other infrastructure.

Russia has sought to deny Ukrainian civilians heat and running water in the freezing winter months over the course of the war, hoping to wear down public resistance to Moscow’s full-scale invasion, which began on Feb. 24, 2022. Ukrainian officials describe the strategy as “weaponizing winter.”

In Ukraine’s Kharkiv region, the Russian attack also wounded 10 people, local authorities said.

In the southern city of Odesa, six people were wounded in the attack, said Oleh Kiper, the head of the regional military administration. The strikes damaged energy infrastructure, a hospital, a kindergarten, an educational facility and a number of residential buildings, he said.

Zelenskyy said that Ukraine is counting on quicker deliveries of agreed upon air defense systems from the U.S. and Europe, as well as new pledges of aid, to counter Russia’s latest onslaught.

Meanwhile, Russian air defenses shot down 11 Ukrainian drones overnight, Russia’s Ministry of Defense said Tuesday. Seven were reportedly destroyed over Russia’s Rostov region, where Gov. Yuri Slyusar confirmed an attack on the coastal city of Taganrog, about 40 kilometers (about 24 miles) east of the Ukrainian border, in Kyiv's latest long-range attack on Russian war-related facilities.

Ukraine’s military said domestically-produced drones hit a drone manufacturing facility in Taganrog. The Atlant Aero plant carries out design, manufacturing and testing of Molniya drones and components for Orion unmanned aerial vehicles, according to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Explosions and a fire were reported at the site, with damage to production buildings confirmed, the General Staff said.

It wasn't possible to independently verify the reports.

Katie Marie Davies contributed to this report from Manchester, England.

Follow AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service, emergency services personnel work to extinguish a fire following a Russian attack in Kharkiv, Ukraine, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026. (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP)

In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service, emergency services personnel work to extinguish a fire following a Russian attack in Kharkiv, Ukraine, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026. (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP)

In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service, emergency services personnel work to extinguish a fire following a Russian attack in Kharkiv, Ukraine, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026. (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP)

In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service, emergency services personnel work to extinguish a fire following a Russian attack in Kharkiv, Ukraine, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026. (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP)

In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service, emergency services personnel work to extinguish a fire following a Russian attack in Kyiv region, Ukraine, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026. (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP)