Shohei Ohtani Returns to Dodgers Lineup One Day After Announcing Birth of Second Child

Shohei Ohtani is back in the leadoff spot for the Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday night, less than 24 hours after he and his wife Mamiko announced the birth of their second child on Instagram. Funny what paternity leave looks like when you’re scheduled to play at home.

The Dodgers managed to pull off a chaotic ninth-inning comeback Friday without their biggest star — which, honestly, felt like a small miracle given how much of their offense runs through him. But the fans packing into Dodger Stadium on Saturday get to watch Ohtani step into the box again, and that’s the kind of scheduling luck contenders don’t always get. If this series were on the road, maybe it’s a different story. He might not have been back this fast.

Another big moment for the Ohtani family

Ohtani and his wife shared the news Friday with a simple joint statement. “We are again overjoyed to experience this wonderful day in our lives together,” they wrote. “Thank you for being born. We would also like to express our heartfelt gratitude to everyone who has supported us throughout this journey.”

That’s two kids now for the 31-year-old, and honestly, if anyone can handle juggling two infants with a two-way MLB workload, it’s probably the guy who throws 100 mph and hits homers on the same nights. He’s yet to find a challenge he can’t handle.

What he’s doing at the plate and on the mound

Through 73 games, Ohtani is slashing .296/.418/.545/.962 with 15 home runs, 42 RBIs, 15 doubles, two triples, 51 runs scored and six stolen bases. That slash line is absurd. The .418 on-base percentage is especially gross for a guy who also leads the league in exit velocity by something like it’s a joke.

And then there’s the pitching side. In 73.2 innings, he’s posted a 1.47 ERA, a 0.882 WHIP, and held hitters to a .491 OPS against. That’s not just good. That’s historically good for a two-way player in an era where guys barely throw 150 innings without a blowup start.

The Dodgers (49-27) host the Orioles (35-42) at 10:10 p.m. ET. Ohtani leads off. Probably worth watching.