Shohei Ohtani (29) of the Los Angeles Angels of the US Major League (MLB) started the team’s opening game on the 31st of last month and pitched 6 innings, 2 hits, 3 walks, 10 strikeouts and no runs. He came off the mound during the team’s 1-0 lead and qualified as the winning pitcher. However, Aaron Roof and Ryan Tepera, who took the mound in the 8th inning, gave up 2 runs and allowed a 1-2 comeback, so the first win of the season had to be delayed.
Ohtani made his second start this season in an away game against the Seattle Mariners held at T-Mobile Park in Seattle, Washington on the 6th. His fast ball and highest speed showed good enough to record 158 km per hour. He pitched 111 pitches in 6 innings, giving up 3 hits, 8 strikeouts and 1 run. His control was shaky enough to allow 4 walks and 2 balls hit by the body, but he minimized runs by striking out, double strikes and grounding balls in every crisis. In the 7th inning, when the Angels led 2-1, he passed the mound to Matt Moore and qualified for the starter. 스포츠토토
Ohtani, who came out as the third hitter, made a big success at the plate with 1 hit, 2 walks and 1 RBI in 2 at-bats. His one RBI that day played a decisive role in earning his first win of the season. In the 7th inning, when the Angels were leading 3-1, with 2 out and 1st and 2nd base, Andres Muñoz, the Seattle team’s best pitcher in the bullpen, sensationally pushed a low outside ball and hit a hit rolling over the left field line to second base. Runner Taylor Ward was called home. It was the direction of the ball that did not come out well because it was Ohtani, who usually swings with a pull.
Ohtani’s first win of the season would have been delayed again if it had not been for his timely hit that made the score 4-1. Moore, who took the mound following Ohtani, handed the mound to Jimmy Huggit with 2nd out and 1st base, but Huggett gave up 2 runs with a double by Ty France and a timely hit by Eugenio Suarez.
Afterwards, the Angels bullpen kept scoreless in the 8th and 9th innings to secure a 4-3 victory, and thanks to this, Ohtani reported his first win this season. Ohtani’s season records are 1 win, 0.75 ERA, 18 strikeouts as a pitcher, and 0.286 batting average, 2 homers, 6 RBIs, and an OPS of 0.971 as a hitter, all cruising in pitching. MLB.com predicted that Ohtani would win the American League Most Valuable Player (MVP) and Cy Young Award this season ahead of the opening.