Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images
Keeping tabs on the ridiculous things Shohei Ohtani does this season
There is a joke around social media that “Twitter is not real life.”
However, there are moments that cross the bridge from memes, to reality.
One such moment comes to us courtesy of Shohei Ohtani. The incredible two-way player is doing things in major league baseball that we have not seen in years, if not decades. Or even ever.
The fact that he is doing them alongside Mike Trout — one of the best position players in the game — and on a team that is struggling to win games spawned one of the greatest baseball tweets in recent memory:
every time I see an Angels highlight it’s like “Mike Trout hit three homes runs and raised his average to .528 while Shohei Ohtani did something that hasn’t been done since ‘Tungsten Arm’ O’Doyle of the 1921 Akron Groomsmen, as the Tigers defeated the Angels 8-3”
— ℳatt (@matttomic) May 18, 2021
So we thought it would be worth it this season to keep a running tally of every incredible night, game, or effort we see from the Angels star this season. And it did not take long for us to have to put this post together, thanks to what he did on Opening Day.
Opening Day, March 30 vs. Oakland A’s
Ohtani was on the bump for the Angels in their season-opener against the Oakland A’s, and hit third in the lineup. He was 1-for-3 at the plate with a walk and a pair of strikeouts.
On the mound, Ohtani went six full innings, allowing just two hits, three walks, and no earned runs. He also struck out ten batters, and left the game after his six innings of work with the Angels holding a one-run lead.
Oakland scored a pair of runs in the bottom of the eighth en route to a 2-1 win.
Shohei Ohtani’s outing was the 26th since at least 1901 with 10+ strikeouts and no runs allowed on Opening Day
it’s the first time that pitcher’s team lost the game
— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) March 31, 2023
And we’re off!
April 5 vs. Seattle Mariners
Ohtani was back on the bump for his second start of the season, on the road against the Seattle Mariners. He went six full innings with eight strikeouts, and allowed one earned run. Ohtani was 1-for-2 at the plate with an RBI and a pair of walks.
He left the game with the Angels leading 4-1, and Los Angeles managed to hold on for a 4-3 win, and Ohtani earned his first win of the season.
He also made some history:
In the bottom of the first with Cal Raleigh at the plate, Ohtani was called for a pitch clock violation at the start of the at-bat. But he managed to battle back for the strikeout.
Then in the sixth inning, Ohtani was at the plate and was hit with a pitch clock violation. He still managed to work a walk in the plate appearance.
It might not be the kind of history we expect to see from Ohtani on a given night, but still history.
April 7 vs. Toronto Blue Jays
This installment has a bonus Mike Trout appearance.
The Angels hosted the Blue Jays in their home opener on Friday night, and the home team got out to an early lead in the bottom of the first. Leadoff hitter Taylor Ward walked, bringing Trout to the plate with a runner on, and nobody out.
Trout then launched a rocket to left that might not have landed yet:
Mike Trout hit this baseball at over 112 MPH and it flew for almost 6 seconds and landed 441 feet away but somehow stayed in one piece. pic.twitter.com/rJunh5LCRl
— Codify (@CodifyBaseball) April 8, 2023
Trout finished the night with just the one hit, but it was a big blast.
As for Ohtani, he went 2-for-4 on the night, with a single and a double.
Their combined three hits were the only hits for Los Angeles on Friday night, and the Angels lost 4-3.
The Angels are the first MLB team to have a pair of former MVPs (Shohei Ohtani, Mike Trout) each get an extra-base hit but have the rest of the team go hitless since the Yankees did it with Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris on May 6, 1962.
— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) April 8, 2023
Well, look on the bright side Angels fans, the 1962 New York Yankees did go on to win the World Series.
