Wednesday night in Houston, Shohei Ohtani’s latest appointment with history was the prelude to a dominating performance on the hill against division rivals Astros.
The Angels’ two-way superstar and 2021 AL MVP beat the leadoff in Joe Maddon’s lineup, and at the head of the first team, Ohtani and his cronies were able to hang six runs against Houston starter Jake Odorizzi, who was just 2/3 of it lasted an inning. A total of 11 Angels sluggers hit the plate in the top of the first and that means Ohtani hit the plate twice (he walked and doubled). That, in turn, meant that Ohtani made history once again:
To reiterate, until Ohtani on Wednesday night at Minute Maid Park, no starting pitcher had recorded two plate appearances in a game before ever throwing a pitch. This is of course partly because the DH has existed in the AL since 1973 and in the NL pitchers almost always hit the bottom of the order. Now that universal DH is in effect, Ohtani will almost certainly be the first and last to pull off this rare feat. His skill with the racquet is such that he makes DHs even when he’s the Halos’ starting pitcher.
Speaking of Ohtani, the starting pitcher, after that bit of history, he’s been busy dominating the Astros. Here’s his last sentence in the Angels’ 6-0 win:
Ohtani once batted six in a row – two fewer than Nolan Ryan’s franchise record – and he didn’t allow a three-ball count until Yordan Alvarez pushed hard to lead in fifth. Ohtani’s 12 strikeouts represent a career high, and that comes against a Houston lineup that has been tough to beat in recent seasons.
Ohtani was also working on a perfect game until Jason Castro found the center – Castro’s first goal of the season – with an out in the sixth. Relevant:
Before the game, Maddon said Ohtani will be limited to 95 pitches. However, the right-hander’s evolving offering for the story changed his thinking:
That would have been something, that much has to be said. It looked like that kind of night up until Castro’s hit, when Ohtani worked his fastball and commanded his array of secondary offerings in the late ’90s. In related matters, he also accumulated 20 swings and errors on the night.
Ohtani had not performed in 2022 until this game. His jewel on the hill lowered his ERA for the season from 7.56 to 4.40, and his 2 for 4 nights at the plate (with a walk) increased his seasonal OPS from .691 to .743. This is still no old Ohtani, meaning the (first place) Angels can count on improving the numbers from this point on. In any case, he made for an unforgettable night on Wednesday.
Summarize something:
Nothing remains like him.