Shohei Ohtani is dominating, just not the way we expected him to

Shohei Ohtani dominating MLB is what everyone expected. He is, however, dominating in a different way than we all expected.  The baseball world is trained to look for the ridiculous home runs, the exit velocity, the lineup protection, and the nightly offensive fireworks. Instead, Sho is taking over games from the mound, where the Dodgers needed him most. Ohtani is good at baseball. That’s not the headline. He’s an insane talent, and quite possibly the greatest baseball player of all time. And yes, we can argue about that later.

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Ohtani’s ERA Is Entering Historic Territory

His ERA, however, is the headline. Ohtani’s ERA now stands at 0.82 through seven starts. That is not just a hot start, friends. That is historically obnoxious. And the comparison is sitting right there in Dodger blue. Not because Ohtani is Fernando Valenzuela. Nobody is. But because the early-season pitching dominance is so loud that you have to at least put it in the same conversation.

The Numbers Are Completely Absurd

The numbers are just plain stupid. Ohtani has 50 strikeouts, 11 walks, and only four earned runs over 44 innings. Of those 44 innings, 38 have been scoreless. He has lasted at least six innings in all seven starts and has led the National League in ERA after every single start.

Valenzuela’s 1981 start created Fernandomania almost immediately. He shut out Houston on Opening Day, allowed one run in his next start, then ripped off three straight complete-game shutouts. His eighth start was the first time he allowed as many as two runs. That is ridiculous, and it remains one of the most culturally powerful pitching runs the sport has ever seen.