Shohei Ohtani’s ERA starts with a zero

TL;DR

Shohei Ohtani has a remarkable 0.82 ERA after seven starts this season, leading the National League. He achieved this with seven scoreless innings and eight strikeouts against the San Francisco Giants.

Key points

Shohei Ohtani has a 0.82 ERA after seven starts.
He struck out eight batters in his latest game against the Giants.
Ohtani has 50 strikeouts and 11 walks in 44 innings.
He has led the National League in ERA after all seven of his starts.

Shohei OhtaniLos Angeles DodgersSan Francisco Giants

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - MAY 13: Shohei Ohtani #17 of the Los Angeles Dodgers reacts after a pitch during the third inning against the San Francisco Giants at Dodger Stadium on May 13, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images) | Getty Images While Shohei Ohtani has been struggling at the plate recently, he’s made opposing hitters look even worst. Wednesday night was arguably his best pitching start of the season with seven scoreless innings and eight strikeouts against the San Francisco Giants. Perspective is important with Ohtani, who has legitimately had a rough go of it while hitting of late, such that he didn’t hit Wednesday night and won’t hit on Thursday to gain some semblance of rest. But even with his hitting struggles, Ohtani still has a 122 wRC+, making him still a well-above-average hitter, just below *his own* standards. But he’s thriving on the mound. After Wednesday’s performance, Ohtani has a minuscule 0.82 ERA with 50 strikeouts against 11 walks in 44 innings. Ohtani has led the National League in ERA after all seven of his starts, and led the majors in ERA after five of them, including each of the last three. The only thing keeping him off the leaderboard at times this season is the lack of innings. Ohtani didn’t pitch until the Dodgers fifth game of the season, got extra time in between then and his second start in order to line up with a team off day the day after said start in Toronto, and even got extra time before Wednesday’s start with Blake Snell inserted into the rotation earlier than planned last weekend. So Ohtani has been straddling the line of qualifying for leaderboards, needing at least one inning per team game played. What’s stayed consistent though is his performance, lasting at least six innings in all seven of his starts, including seven innings in each of his last two outings. After Tuesday’s start he’s up to 44 innings, through 43 Dodgers games. Of his 44 innings, 38 of them have been scoreless frames, plus single runs in six different innings, two of those tallies unearned. For what it’s worth, even if those other two runs were earned, Ohtani’s updated 1.23 ERA would would still lead the majors, with right-hander Cam Schlitter next-best at 1.35. Ohtani’s 2.17 xERA is second-best in baseball, . Here are the dates Ohtani has led the NL in ERA to date in 2026 (at the end of that day):

Q&A

What is Shohei Ohtani's current ERA in the 2026 season?

Shohei Ohtani currently has a 0.82 ERA after his latest start.

How many strikeouts does Shohei Ohtani have this season?

Ohtani has recorded 50 strikeouts in 44 innings pitched this season.

Which team is Shohei Ohtani playing for in 2026?

Shohei Ohtani is playing for the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2026.

How many scoreless innings has Shohei Ohtani pitched this season?

Ohtani has pitched 38 scoreless innings out of 44 total innings this season.