Famed two-way Los Angeles Angels star Shohei Ohtani made history Wednesday against the Giants. It was the first time in MLB history that an NL team played with a designated hitter while the AL team didn’t.
Ohtani both pitched and hit in the lineup against San Francisco, and during one of his at-bats against Kevin Gausman, he fell victim to a nasty splitter. More than once.
Here’s strike two that made Ohtani lose his helmet:
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The third one to end his at-bat had Ohtani reaching on a swing-and-miss.
Naturally, it got the attention of Pitching Ninga, who knows a filthy pitch when he sees one.
In seven innings, Gausman struck out nine, dropping his ERA at 1.49.
That has to add to Gausman’s confidence. Ohtani, who just announced he is going to participate in the 2021 Home Run Derby, has been sensational as both a hitter and pitcher this season.
In six innings on Wednesday, Ohtani struck out nine, walking two with one earned run.
As our own Alex Pavlovic pointed out, it lived up to the hype.
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Heading into Wednesday’s contest, Ohtani was slashing .269/.355/.640 with a .996 OPS and a league-leading 23 home runs in 276 plate appearances.
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He was also boasting a 2.70 ERA with 73 strikeouts in 53 ⅓ innings.