Magic Man: Shohei Ohtani's Return To Pitching Sets New MLB Ratings Record

What a week it's been already in Major League Baseball, and it's only Tuesday. 

On Sunday, news broke that, seemingly out of nowhere, star Red Sox infielder/DH Rafael Devers had been traded to the San Francisco Giants. Later that night, the Los Angeles Dodgers made the stunning announcement, with little advanced warning, that the most anticipated pitching debut of 2025 would happen on Monday.

After almost two years of rehabbing from a second major arm surgery, two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani returned to the mound against the San Diego Padres. A sold-out Dodger Stadium got to their seats early to watch Ohtani pitch, and he didn't disappoint.

Despite allowing a run after an extremely poor missed call on a Manny Machado checked swing, Ohtani's stuff was immediately electric. 99-100mph fastballs, a devastating sweeper, and his trademark splitter. All graded out as well as above-average big league pitches.

READ: Shohei Ohtani Returns to Mound with 100 MPH Heat in One-Inning Dodgers Debut

But it wasn't just the stadium crowd that wanted to see it. Everyone wanted to see it. To the point where Monday night's game set a new streaming record for MLB.TV 

LOS ANGELES - Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers throws a pitch during the first inning against the San Diego Padres at Dodger Stadium on June 16, 2025. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

Shohei Ohtani Remains Baseball's Biggest Star

A Monday night game starting at 10:10pm Eastern between two West Coast teams doesn't seem like the recipe for a new streaming viewership record. And yet, that's the power of Shohei Ohtani. 

Per the Major League Baseball Communications account on X, Monday night's Dodgers-Padres game was the most watched in the history of the league's MLB.TV streaming service. Not only was it the most watched, it beat the second-most-watched game by a whopping 28 percent.

That's a massive number for a game that, again, started VERY late Eastern time. People really wanted to watch Shohei Ohtani pitch.

It's yet another sign that the national audience for and interest in baseball continues to grow. After years of MLB refusing to market its players, it's lucked into a generational superstar that drives international interest and captures attention in a way that nobody else can. 

With Ohtani, we're watching history every time he plays. Seems like a lot more people around the country have figured that out too.