Shohei Ohtani's Cy Young Case Has One Major Obstacle
Shohei Ohtani continued to make his case clear last night, not only for his fourth straight MVP, but for his first Cy Young Award.
Ohtani began last night's game for the Los Angeles Dodgers in a way that surprises no one anymore. He hit a home run on the first pitch of the game, then struck out two hitters in the bottom half of the inning.
When his night was over, Ohtani had thrown five scoreless innings, allowing three hits and two walks while striking out four. It marked the first time all season he failed to complete six innings.
The Dodgers superstar lowered his season ERA to an unbelievable 0.73 through eight starts.
Shohei Ohtani this season:
— Blake Harris (@BlakeHHarris) May 21, 2026
6 IP, 0 ER, 6 K
6 IP, 0 ER, 2 K
6 IP, 1 ER, 10 K
6 IP, 0 ER, 7 K
6 IP, 1 ER, 9 K
7 IP, 2 ER, 8 K
7 IP, 0 ER, 8 K
5 IP, 0 ER, 4 K pic.twitter.com/qqW54qMtVH
The start Ohtani has gotten off to on the mound is unlike almost anything in recent history. But then again, there aren't any other players like Ohtani.
However, despite the amazing results, Ohtani still has one major obstacle hurting his chances to win the National League Cy Young.
Shohei Ohtani's Innings Total Remains His Biggest Cy Young Obstacle
After throwing five scoreless innings against the San Diego Padres, Ohtani has now thrown 49 innings through eight starts this season.
However, he is still one inning short of qualifying among MLB pitching leaders. To qualify, a pitcher must throw one inning per team game played. The Dodgers have now played 50 games.
That means Ohtani would need to throw at least 162 innings by season's end to qualify among the leaders.
The problem for Ohtani is his schedule. He only pitches once a week and likely will not finish anywhere near the innings leaders. The current National League leader is fellow Cy Young favorite Cristopher Sanchez, who has thrown 64.1 innings.
The only way Ohtani can win the Cy Young is by maintaining an ERA so low that it separates him from the rest of the field.
Sarah Langs of MLB noted that Ohtani's ERA through his first eight starts is the sixth-lowest to begin a season in the live-ball era, which started in 1920. Only two pitchers ahead of him went on to win the Cy Young: Fernando Valenzuela in 1981 and Zack Greinke in 2009.
The other names come with context. Al Benton pitched before the Cy Young Award existed. Mike Norris finished as the runner-up, while Jacob deGrom got injured.
Lowest ERA in first 8 starts of season, live ball era (1920) excl openers:
— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) May 21, 2026
1981 Fernando Valenzuela: 0.50
1980 Mike Norris: 0.52
2009 Zack Greinke: 0.60
1945 Al Benton: 0.70
2021 Jacob deGrom: 0.71
2026 Shohei Ohtani: 0.73
HE HIT A LEADOFF HOME RUN TODAY https://t.co/X326gMjbKm
The National League Cy Young race is also shaping up to be one of the best in years. Paul Skenes, Cristopher Sanchez, Chase Burns, Chris Sale and Jacob Misiorowski all have legitimate cases along with Ohtani.
Because of that, and because of his innings workload, Ohtani may have to remain near perfect to win the award.
However, as has been the case since he debuted in MLB in 2018, Ohtani defies expectations and logic more than anyone else.
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This story was originally published May 21, 2026 at 10:00 AM.