Shohei Ohtani continued to strengthen his training and practiced shooting 44 balls in three games

Shohei Ohtani threw a total of 44 balls in three rounds of simulated practice, and this was his third practice against a hitter.

Shohei Ohtani made two major breakthroughs today in his third live BP session – a four-pitch pitch in three innings against the Dodgers minor league hitters at Petco Park in San Diego, surpassing the record of 29 pitches in two innings on May 31.

Ohtani hit only one first base hit and threw a free run in this session, both of which occurred in the third inning. The game took 23 balls (the first two games were easily solved with 11 and 10 balls respectively).

Pitching practice scheduled for Monday was precautionarily postponed after Sunday's game against the Cardinals was hit with a touch ball in his left foot. The injury didn't affect his batting mission: he still started the game with a 5-hit 1-hitter (2nd base hit) on Monday.

As he continues to recover from 2023 right elbow surgery and 2024 left shoulder surgery, there is no exact schedule for Ohtani's Major League Operations, but it is likely that he will make his pitcher debut this season after the All-Star break.