Dodger Stadium was the place to be Monday night as Shohei Ohtani made his long-awaited return to the mound for the home team. Facing their biggest divisional rivals, the San Diego Padres, the Dodgers played in front of a packed crowd of 53,207 fans.

The belief was Shohei Ohtani wouldn't pitch for the Dodgers until after the All-Star break, but it instead happens one month earlier than expected.

Shohei Ohtani's first time on the mound in an MLB game since August 2023 yielded mixed results with one run allowed on two hits, a wild pitch and no strikeouts in the Los Angeles Dodgers' 6-3 win over the San Diego Padres on Monday.

It wasn't a perfect return to the mound for Shohei Ohtani, but the Dodgers feel good about what it meant for the two-way star.

Shohei Ohtani was back on the mound for his first pitching appearance in a Los Angeles Dodgers uniform on Monday, and while it wasn't his best outing, it marked a huge step forward as Ohtani looks to return to his remarkable two-way dominance.

USAT's Jordan Mendoza shares what the atmosphere was like at Dodger Stadium as Shohei Ohtani took the mound for the first time since August 2023.

The day that the Dodgers have been waiting for since they signed Shohei Ohtani to a then-record contract is nearly here: Ohtani's first start as a pitcher in a Dodgers uniform is set for Monday night against the Padres.