On Sunday night, Angels two-way phenom Shohei Ohtani did something he’d never done before: pitched and hit in the same major-league game. The Japanese-born star took the mound for the Angels, starting against the Chicago White Sox. He also was placed second in the batting order, becoming the first starting pitcher to bat 2nd since Jack Dunleavy in 1903.
But the game wasn’t notable just for the fact that Ohtani was doing both, but for what he did while doing both.
A Historic First
In the top of the first inning, Ohtani hit 101 on the mound. In the bottom of the first inning, Ohtani hit 115 with his bat.
Imagine doing that on the mound, then doing this in the box:
A 451 foot bomb, with a 115 mph exit velo. I mean, just check out the Savant Gamefeed:
Ohtani had the two hardest-hit balls in the game, the long home run and then a hard lineout in his second at-bat. He also had the 22 hardest-thrown pitches in the game, topping 100 mph nine times on the mound.
In fact, that home run is the hardest-hit ball in the league this season. His 101.1 mph fireblazing fastball is also the hardest-thrown ball in the league this season. And they were both from the same player!
Ohtani: On the Mound
Ohtani’s final pitching line was this: 4 and 2/3 innings, 2 hits, 1 earned run, 5 walks, 7 strikeouts. His command was spotty at times (hence the 5 walks), but his stuff was absolutely dominant.
His splitter was incredible throughout the game, and he generated 5 of his strikeouts with the pitch. Take a look at this one, to Yermin Mercedes:
The ball gets halfway to the plate before the bottom completely falls out on the pitch. There’s just no way to hit that. And that wasn’t the only strikeout pitch that Ohtani had working, either. Here’s the second at-bat of the game for Mercedes:
Slider, slider, slider for a 3-pitch strikeout. That’s just unfair. In my season preview, I said Ohtani is a good bet to finish with an ERA of 3.75 or lower. However, if his offspeed pitches are working like this all season, it may end up being significantly lower.
He failed to finish the 5th inning, but not necessarily by his own fault. With runners on second and third, and 2 outs, Ohtani got Yoan Moncada to swing and miss, but the pitch got past catcher Max Stassi. On the dropped third strike, Stassi threw to first for the out, but his throw was low and skipped past Jared Walsh at first base. This allowed both runners to score, tying the game at three and ending Ohtani’s evening at 92 pitches. Both runs were unearned.
Overall, it was a great pitching debut for Ohtani in the 2021 season. After pitching just 1 and 2/3 innings in the last two years (missing all of 2019), there was much anticipation regarding his return to the mound. On the biggest stage, the two-way star shined bright.
Ohtani: In the Box
Ohtani’s talent with the bat has never been questioned. Well, his talent overall has never been questioned, to be quite honest. But after hitting just .190 with an OPS+ of 77 during the shortened 2020 season, there were again a lot of eyes watching to see how Ohtani would start offensively.
Perhaps more important was the fact that Ohtani was hitting for himself. It was the first time that an AL team had willingly forfeited their DH spot since the 1979 season, according to the ESPN broadcast.
He stated that he liked to hit for himself, because he liked to be able to help his own cause offensively. Well, as you already saw, he sure helped his cause in the 1st inning.
The monster home run was actually his second of the year, with the first coming off Liam Hendriks on Friday.
Shohei Ohtani: Baseball’s Unicorn
Ohtani is easily baseball’s most exciting player. He’s also baseball’s most talented.
Let me clarify that. Is he the best hitter in the league? No. Is he the best pitcher in the league? Also no. But, Ohtani can do both at an All-Star level.
To put it simply: Nobody else in baseball can do what Ohtani can do.
The Angels stressed that the so-called training wheels were off this year. They wanted to “let Shohei be Shohei“. Well, that sure happened on Sunday night.
After the game, Angels manager Joe Maddon stated, “This is why he signed up.”
Ohtani is must-watch baseball anytime he plays one side of the ball. He’s even more must-watch when he’s doing both. A player who can be one of the best at both hitting and pitching, simultaneously, can put baseball back on the map in the eyes of non-fans.
If Ohtani is going to hit & pitch full-time this season, it will put baseball back in the national spotlight on a scale not seen since the legendary home run chase of the late 1990s. When Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa were chasing each other for the HR crown in 1998, everyone was tuning in.
The same can happen this year with Ohtani. A full time two-way player at the major league level has not been seen in over 100 years. The last time that an MLB player started at least 15 games on the mound while also recording 400+ plate appearances in the same season was Babe Ruth in 1919. This was before he went to New York, and before “The Curse of the Bambino”. If Ohtani reaches both marks, he will be the first player to do so in 102 years.
There are a lot of rare things in baseball. A perfect game has only happened 23 times. 4 home runs by one player in a game has happened just 18 times. Only three pitchers have struck out 20 batters in a game.
However, Ohtani putting together a full season of both hitting and pitching would arguably be the rarest.
