Shohei Ohtani not worried about diminished velocity in rough return

Shohei Ohtani’s velocity was a cause for concern in his calamitous return to the mound on Sunday, but he did not sound particularly bothered about it.

In his highly-anticipated first time pitching since undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2018, the Los Angeles Angels star imploded, allowing five earned runs against the Oakland Athletics and failing to record a single out. Ohtani, who gave up three hits and three walks, sat in the low-90s with his fastball and did not throw a single splitter in 30 total pitches.

After the game, Ohtani said that he was not worried about his velocity but indicated that he had difficulty finding his rhythm and shaking off the rust, per Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com. Angels manager Joe Maddon also stressed that Ohtani was healthy despite the diminished velocity.

Shohei Ohtani said he's not worried about his velocity. But he felt like he was throwing to try to aim up there instead of pitch. Says he's trying to shake off the rust.

— Rhett Bollinger (@RhettBollinger) July 26, 2020

Shohei Ohtani says he's healthy despite his lower velocity today, Maddon said.

— Rhett Bollinger (@RhettBollinger) July 26, 2020

The 26-year-old Ohtani often used to hit triple digits with his fastball prior to the surgery. According to Fangraphs, Ohtani’s average fastball velocity in his 2018 rookie season was 97.4 mph.

Granted, there are obviously some mental hurdles that come along with such a lengthy absence and trying to regain the confidence in your body to throw at full capacity again. Once Ohtani gets back in his comfort zone on the mound, his pitch speed could easily creep back up accordingly.