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How Shohei Ohtani can extend streak of consecutive innings pitched without giving up an earned run
TL;DR
Shohei Ohtani has been pitching exceptionally well, extending his streak of consecutive innings without allowing an earned run since the end of 2025. After overcoming arm injuries, he has returned to form and achieved a quality start in 2026.
How Shohei Ohtani can extend streak of consecutive innings pitched without giving up an earned run originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Dating back to the end of 2025, Shohei Ohtani has been pitching at an elite clip. In recent years, it's easy to remember Ohtani's hitting chops.
However, Ohtani hasn't pitched more than 50 innings in a season since 2023. Just a year before that, Ohtani finished fourth in AL Cy Young Award voting.
With a series of arm injuries now in the rearview mirror, Ohtani returned to the mound for the second half of 2025. His leash was slowly lengthened, starting with just an inning in his first two outings in 2025. By his last start, he earned his first and only quality start.
Fast forward to this year, and Ohtani has not skipped a beat. Start after start, Ohtani has limited earned runs as well as anyone. Here's more on the numbers behind Ohtani's string of spectacular starts.
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Shohei Ohtani consecutive innings pitched without an earned run
Dating back to his last few innings against the Cincinnati Reds on August 27, 2025, Ohtani has not allowed an earned run. After another scoreless appearance in Toronto on April 8, the streak has grown once again. Ohtani has now thrown 28.2 innings without allowing an earned run.
While that run was allowed with one out in the innings, Elias Sports Bureau has changed its ruling for streaks to no longer count any outs recorded during the inning that the run is allowed. Meaning that, in essence, Ohtani's streak would have been scored as 29.1 innings had it taken place before 1998.
Among the pantheon of great scoreless streaks however, Ohtani still has a long way to go. Ohtani allowed an unearned run in his last start as well, meaning that his streak would not count as a scoreless streak anymore, either.
Dodgers legend Orel Hershiser leads this list with 59 straight scoreless innings in 1988. Shortly after him is Don Drysdale at 58, and then Walter Johnson at 55.2 back in 1913.
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When was the last time Shohei Ohtani gave up an earned run?
Fans will have to go all the way back to that start against the Reds on August 27. Ohtani gave up one run in that contest, a solo home run to Noelvi Marte in the third inning.
Ohtani wound up going five innings in that outing, with the homer being his only run given up. He allowed one more hit as well and walked two batters.
Before an injury sidetracked the end of Ohtani's 2023 pitching campaign, he was on a similar run. In his last four outings of the season, Ohtani allowed one run, unearned across 20.1 innings.
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Q&A
What is Shohei Ohtani's current streak of consecutive innings pitched without an earned run?
Shohei Ohtani's current streak of consecutive innings pitched without giving up an earned run dates back to the end of 2025.
How did Shohei Ohtani's performance change after his arm injuries?
After overcoming arm injuries, Ohtani gradually increased his pitching workload in 2025 and has since maintained an elite performance level in 2026.
What notable achievement did Shohei Ohtani accomplish in his last start?
In his last start, Shohei Ohtani achieved his first and only quality start of the season, showcasing his return to form on the mound.
