Shohei Otani did not exactly get a welcome return to the mound in his first start of the season Wednesday, as the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters' two-way star failed to make it out of the second inning of a 6-3 defeat against the Orix Buffaloes.

Otani, whose time on the mound had been limited to a one-inning minor league rehab start on July 1 because of a torn left hamstring, allowed four earned runs on two hits and three walks in 1⅓ innings in taking the loss.

Otani, who struck out two, consistently hit mid-150 kph on the gun, but was all over the place with his location. After 29 pitches, manager Hideki Kuriyama had seen enough, going to the mound at Kyocera Dome to pull the right-hander.