Photo: Harry How/Getty Images
Shohei Ohtani won’t stop talking nonsense.
News run: The 28-year-old played one of his most impressive games on Tuesday night in Anaheim, dominating the Los Angeles Angels with his bat and arm. 4-2 Win over the Chicago White Sox.
- Strike: 3-for-3, 2 home runs, 2 runs batted in, walk
- pitching: 6.1 innings pitched, 4 hits, 1 earned run, 10 strikeouts
of note: It was Ohtani’s first game with multiple home runs as a starting pitcher, but it certainly wasn’t the first time his bat supported his arm: he hit .407 in games played this season. Are.
state of play: We are witnessing something extraordinary. The same person is simultaneously (a) the best hitter in baseball and (b) the hardest pitcher to get hit by.
- Strike: Ohtani leads Major League Baseball in home runs (28), RBIs (64), slugging percentage (.654), on-base plus slugging percentage (1.039), extra-base hits (47) and total bases (200).
- pitching: He leads all qualified pitchers in opponent batting average (.180), while also ranking third in strikeouts (127) and third in average fastball velocity (97.1 mph).
plot: The Japan native already tied the Angels record with 13 homers this month and is now on pace for 56, tied for 18th most in a single season with Ken Griffey Jr. (1997-98) and Hack Wilson (1930). Will match more.
- his hitting stats And highlight-worthy homer Get most of the attention, but I cannot stress enough how dominant this guy is on the mound.
- Since the beginning of last season, Ohtani has 16 games with 10+ strikeouts. No other MLB pitcher has more than 11.
Bottom-line: Imagine matching Mickey Mantle and Justin Verlander in their prime. He is Shohei Ohtani until the first half of 2023. His projected full-season stats…
- Strike: .304/.386/.654, 186 hits, 30 doubles, 8 triples, 56 HR, 128 RBI, 110 runs, 22 steals
- pitching: 32 games started, 190.2 IP, 14 wins, 3.02 ERA, 1.03 walks and hits per inning pitched, 254 strikeouts
the last word … I’ve never covered an athlete like Ohtani. He’s so brilliant again and again that it’s actually a little difficult to report on.
- “Shall I write about him again? I have just written about him.
- questions like this It seems like I ask myself that on a weekly basis. In the end, I almost always decide to describe his adventures.
- my thinking: One day, I will tell my grandchildren about seeing this man. For his sake, I would like to be present as much as possible during his reign. We cannot be insensitive to it.
go deeper: Shohei Ohtani Is Baseball’s Advertising King