Lotte's Hikaru Otani underwent Tommy John surgery on his right elbow last March and did not pitch in either the first or second team games. However, this season he made his return to the regular season in a second-team game in June and has pitched in four second-team games so far.

Ohtani, who joined Lotte as the second pick in the 2023 draft, was promoted for the first time since turning pro on October 3, 2024, and made his professional debut in Game Nippon-Ham that same day. "I was nervous and anxious but got up, but after giving up the runner, I was able to pitch calmly, so I think that was good." Although the leadoff Tatsuki Mizuno was carried to left field, Ohtani missed Shun Mizutani at the 152 km/h fastball and struck out, then struck out Daiki Asama swung and missed at the 130 km/h fork, and finally struck out Kotaro Kiyomiya swinging at 140 km/h fork. "I got fouls on solid fastball, and I got a swing and missed on fork, so I think it was good in the end," he said, making for a stunning three-player struck out debut.

"Next year (2025), I want to be able to make the opening day roster, so I'll be practicing this offseason to become a highly pitcher," he said, adding that he will participate in the Australian Winter League after the season ends.

In his second year, he underwent "right elbow ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction surgery" on March 19th, before the season began. "Watching the games made me so restless, and I really wanted to pitch, so all I wanted was to recover quickly," he said, and he did not pitch in either the first or second team.

At the press conference for contract renewal negotiations on December 10 last year, he revealed that he had recovered enough to be able to play catch, saying, "Things are going smoothly, and I have my own plans, so I think I'm able to do things according to plan."

During his self-training period in January, Ohtani was seen playing catch at Lotte Urawa Baseball Stadium. In an interview on June 16, Ohtani said, "Everything has gone smoothly, and I think the timing of my return was according to plan," indicating that he completed his rehabilitation as scheduled and made his return to the mound.

"I think it was good that I was able to at least pitch one inning," he said, referring to his first appearance in a minor league game since undergoing Tommy John surgery on his right elbow on June 6 against Yakult Swallows' regular season team.

In the Yakult second team game that day, Ohtani took the mound in the 7th inning with a 4-1 lead. Although the leadoff pitcher Takuma Nakagawa carried the second pitch, a 145 km/h fastball, to left field, Ohtani then hit Ren Sawai on a 144 km/h fastball to the third pitch, a triple fly, Taijiro Yano on the third pitch at 144 km/h fastball, and pinch hitter Seiyu Sawano threw from a 2-ball 2-strike on the fifth pitch. On his first fork pitch that day, he got an outing to third base, and in his first appearance in the farm team regular season after returning, he threw 11 pitches in 1 inning, allowing 1 hit, no runs, and 10 of 11 pitches were fastball power pitches.

After his return on June 6, Ohtani said, "I don't think speed is the best, so I want to focus on the quality of my fastball and throw fastballs that could be fouled," expressing the quality of the fastball he had been particular about since before Tommy John's surgery.

In an interview on June 16, he said, "I want to get my fastball speed back up a bit, and I want to improve the accuracy of breaking ball," and added with conviction about his fork, his weapon, "It depends on my condition, but I hope fork becomes the pitch I'm most confident in."

In the June 23 minor league game against the Chunichi—his first professional appearance since October 3, 2024—he pitched at the first-team’s home stadium, Zozo Marine Stadium, in the mound, and“When I pitched at Marine Stadium, my fastball was the most satisfying one I’ve thrown recently. In terms of the quality of the fastball alone, I think it was my best, so I hope to keep pitching like that and increase my velocity,” he said after throwing 12 pitches over one inning and retiring the side in order without any trouble closer.

Although he did not pitch for the farm team in July (regular season), he had been working on his pitching at bullpen. His appearance on August 8 in the farm team game at The Giants—his first since the June 23 farm team game at Chunichi—saw him pitch one inning with a runs. The Giants He also pitched in the following minor league games: fork and slider. He revealed, “Since fork and slider are still in training, I have been throwing a bit more than usual.”

While he was conscious of the "quality of his fastball," he quietly commented on his current fastball, "I'm not satisfied yet, right?" Regarding fastball 's velocity, he also tilted his head, saying, "Even if the velocity isn't good, I think I could throw a bit more of my fastball, but I feel like I haven't reached that level yet."

Is he consciously working on throwing the kind of fastball he envisions, starting from bullpen?

"I focus on catch practice, and I believe that if I can throw the ball the way I want during catch practice, I'll be able to throw the way I want in bullpen and during games. So, I make a point of focusing on throwing a satisfactory ball during catch practice every day."

Ohtani, a hard-throwing right-hander boasting a top speed of 159 km/h, said, "First, I want to increase my velocity. I was already able to throw over 150 km/h, so I want to get to that level by the end of this year. I want to establish my own pitching style." Once he can consistently throw fastball exceeding 150 km/h, a promotion to the first team will come into view.

Interview and text by Yuta Iwashita