Shohei Ohtani Faces Marlins Tonight With Devastating 0.38 ERA

Apr 15, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Shohei Ohtani reacts against the New York Mets at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Granted, his FIP is 1.92 — still great, but not quite 0.38 great — but his WHIP is only 0.750, and Baseball Savant has Ohtani putting up elite numbers.

Here’s how he stacks up against other pitchers:

• Pitching run value: 98th percentile
• Fastball run value: 97th percentile
• Breaking run value: 98th percentile
• Expected ERA: 96th percentile
• Expected batting average: 92nd percentile
• Fastball velocity: 93rd percentile

Ohtani has had strong years on the mound before, but never in so many categories at once.

Why is Shohei Ohtani so good as a pitcher in 2026?

Dodgers Nation’s Doug McKain broke down Ohtani’s great outing against the San Francisco Giants, and it appears offseason work is paying off.

That night, he pitched six innings and struck out seven while allowing five hits, no walks and no earned runs.

McKain first credited Ohtani’s improved heater.

Ohtani’s four-seam fastball, which regularly sits in the mid-to-high 90s but can top 100 mph when he wants to go full-throttle, has been confounding hitters.

“The mechanics are so much better this year on that pitch,” McKain explained.

And the improved command on that fastball makes his other pitches even more effective, especially his splitter and sweeper.

The sweeper, for example, starts out looking like the fastball.

“Then it has that late, late bite to it, that horizontal movement and [the hitter] is swinging underneath it,” he said.

Then, as his outing goes on, Ohtani can mix in the splitter.

“He still has [the] sweeper, can mix in [the] curveball, can throw a splitter that’s devastating when he needs it,” McKain said.

How to watch Shohei Ohtani pitch against the Marlins

Ohtani next takes the mound Tuesday night against the Miami Marlins.

Janson Junk will get the start for the Marlins.

First pitch is set for 7:10 p.m. PT, and the game will air on SportsNet LA.

Do you think Shohei Ohtani can keep up his hot start to the season on the mound?