The Los Angeles Dodgers have long been synonymous with elite pitching. From the unhittable curveballs of Sandy Koufax to the sustained brilliance of Clayton Kershaw, the franchise has consistently produced arms that define eras. Yet every so often, a pitcher emerges whose impact transcends the mound, capturing the imagination of an entire city and its fanbase. In 1981, that pitcher was Fernando Valenzuela. In 2026, it is Shohei Ohtani.
Ohtani, the two-way superstar signed to a record 10-year, $700 million contract ahead of the 2024 season, has started the 2026 campaign in breathtaking fashion. Through his first seven starts, the right-hander owns a 0.82 earned run average — the second-lowest by any Dodgers pitcher in the first seven outings of a season since earned runs became an official statistic in the National League in 1912. The only mark that surpasses him? Valenzuela's staggering 0.29 ERA in 1981, the year “Fernandomania” swept Los Angeles and reconnected Latino fans with the Dodgers.
The parallels between Ohtani and Valenzuela are striking. Both arrived in Los Angeles as international sensations — Valenzuela from Mexico, Ohtani from Japan — and both immediately became cultural icons. Valenzuela's 1981 season remains one of the most celebrated in baseball history. The left-handed rookie started the year with an 8-0 record, throwing five complete-game shutouts in his first eight starts, and went on to win both the National League Cy Young Award and Rookie of the Year honors. He also led the Dodgers to a World Series championship, revitalizing ticket sales and boosting Spanish-language broadcast ratings. Ohtani, who already has two World Series rings with the Dodgers (2024 and 2025) and two Most Valuable Player awards, appears poised to add a Cy Young to his collection in 2026.
Ohtani's 0.82 ERA through seven starts is a product of elite command and overpowering stuff. In his most recent outing on May 13, 2026, against the San Francisco Giants at Dodger Stadium, he tossed seven shutout innings, scattering four hits while striking out eight. The performance lowered his season ERA to 0.82, sparking immediate comparisons to Valenzuela. On the year, Ohtani has allowed just six earned runs in 66 innings pitched, with 72 strikeouts against 18 walks. Opponents are batting a mere .162 against him.
“Shohei is doing things that we haven't seen in a long time around here,” said Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. “To have your name mentioned alongside Fernando Valenzuela, in this city, is something really special. He's locked in, and he's determined to win that Cy Young.”
The quest for the Cy Young has come at a slight cost, however. Ohtani's offensive production has dipped this season. Through 46 games, he is hitting .258 with an on-base plus slugging percentage of .839. While those numbers are still above average for most players, they represent a departure from his usual MVP-caliber output. Last season, Ohtani hit .310 with 44 home runs and a 1.012 OPS while serving primarily as a designated hitter as he rehabbed from elbow surgery. This year, he has resumed pitching on a regular schedule, and the workload appears to have affected his timing at the plate.
The discourse around Ohtani's two-way role has shifted dramatically. In 2025, many pundits argued he should focus solely on hitting to preserve his health and maximize his offensive value. Now, with his pitching numbers reaching historic heights, the conversation has flipped. “It's interesting because last year, there was a lot of conversations that he shouldn't pitch and just be a hitter,” Roberts noted. “Now, it's kind of flipped on its head. I can't imagine what goes through his mind, but I do feel clarity on how we're managing him. There's no one way to go about it. You're just trying to be fluid, and react and respond to how he's feeling.”
Roberts and the Dodgers organization have been cautious with Ohtani's workload, monitoring his pitch counts and giving him occasional rest days from hitting. Ohtani has started 14 games as a designated hitter when not pitching, and he has appeared in the outfield on five occasions. The team's depth allows them to be flexible, but Ohtani's desire to be on the field every day is well known. In Japan, he regularly played every day as a pitcher and hitter, and he has expressed his preference for a similar routine in the majors.
The historical context of Ohtani's 0.82 ERA cannot be overstated. Since 1912, only Valenzuela's 0.29 ERA (through seven starts) has been lower. Other legendary Dodgers pitchers such as Koufax, Don Drysdale, and Kershaw all had higher ERAs in their first seven starts of a season. For example, Koufax posted a 1.23 ERA in his first seven starts of 1965, while Kershaw opened 2014 with a 1.22 ERA. Ohtani's performance is genuinely elite, and it comes in an era of increased offensive output, making it even more impressive.
Valenzuela's 1981 season was a cultural phenomenon that extended far beyond baseball. His emergence brought Latino fans back to Dodger Stadium in droves, healing wounds from the Chavez Ravine evictions of the 1950s, when Mexican-American families were displaced to build the stadium. “Fernandomania” became a symbol of pride and inclusion for the Latino community in Los Angeles. Ohtani, a global superstar from Japan, has similarly galvanized the Asian-American community and drawn international attention to the Dodgers. The team has seen a surge in Japanese tourism to Dodger Stadium, and Ohtani's jerseys are among the best-selling in MLB.
Ohtani's 2026 campaign is shaping up to be one for the ages. If he maintains his current ERA pace, he could finish with one of the lowest season ERAs in recent memory. He is also on track to record over 200 strikeouts for the fourth time in his career. The Cy Young Award race remains competitive — pitchers like the New York Mets' Kodai Senga and the Atlanta Braves' Spencer Strider have also posted strong numbers — but Ohtani's combination of dominance and narrative appeal makes him a favorite.
As the season progresses, all eyes will be on Ohtani to see if he can sustain this historic level of pitching while also rediscovering his offensive rhythm. The Dodgers, meanwhile, are once again World Series contenders, and Ohtani's arms are a primary reason. The echoes of Valenzuela are unmistakable, and Ohtani is writing his own chapter in Dodgers lore.
After seven starts, the numbers are clear: Shohei Ohtani is accomplishing something not seen in Los Angeles since Fernando Valenzuela captured the city's heart more than four decades ago. And if history is any guide, the best may be yet to come.
Source: Yardbarker News