In the last season that he pitched in 2023, Ohtani had a 3.13 ERA, a 1.06 WHIP and a 10-5 record, helping him earn a second AL MVP. Unfortunately, his season on the mound was cut short as he underwent surgery for a UCL tear in his right elbow in September. Since then, he's been on the road to recovery.

"Yeah, it changed quite a bit," Ohtani told the Japanese media, according to a translation from DodgersBeat. "My arm slot dropped, and that was mainly due to better coordination with my lower body. At this stage, we felt that lowering the angle would give us the best results, so it happened naturally."