It was an occasion they’d been waiting on for more than 18 months: Shohei Ohtani pitching in a Dodger uniform.

Shohei Ohtani could return to a major league mound in the next two weeks but Los Angeles Dodgers rookie right-hander Roki Sasaki has paused his throwing program and is set for a lengthy layoff.

Despite the precaution of limiting Ohtani to one or two innings, his unique two-way designation as an extra pitcher on the roster helps Los Angeles.

Aaron Judge, the slugger who leads the majors in batting average, and Shohei Ohtani, who have combined to win five of the last eight Most Valuable Player awards, are lapping the rest of Major League Baseball in the first batch of All-Star Game balloting.