He became the first player to received the awards as both a pitcher and a hitter. Shohei Ohtani's birthday and age. [4], Ohtani finished his 2022 season with a 159 record, a 2.33 ERA and 219 strikeouts in 166 innings. [71], The 2020 MLB season did not start until July 24 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [117][118] For the 2021 All-MLB Team, Ohtani is the only player to be named to both teams, first team and second team, in the same season (as a designated hitter and starting pitcher respectively). [141][157], Ohtani was selected to Japan's Under-18 National Team that eventually finished in sixth place at the 2012 18U Baseball World Championship 18U Baseball World Championship in Seoul, Korea. Avalanche in Lake Tahoe Area Hits Apartment Building . [108], On September 21, after hitting his 45th home run of the season, Ohtani became the first player to hit at least 45 homers and steal 20 bases in a season since Alex Rodriguez in 2007. ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith apologized Tuesday after receiving backlash for his remarks about Los Angeles Angels star Shohei Ohtani's use of an interpreter. [82] Additionally, Ohtani batted second in the lineup. "[3] Ohtani was offered Japan's national honor, the People's Honour Award, by the Prime Minister of Japan in recognition of his accomplishments, but Ohtani rejected it, saying it was "still too early" for such an award. [6] Coached by his father, he displayed an aptitude for the game at an early age. [103], Ohtani would finish the month of July as the first player in Major League history to ever have at least 37 home runs and 15 stolen bases before the end of July. [78] Furthermore, in spring training, the Angels general manager Perry Minasian, manager Joe Maddon, and Ohtani agreed to allow Ohtani to play without limitations or restrictions and drop the "Ohtani Rules",[80] a plan the Angels mirrored from Ohtani's schedule in Japan and had implemented since his 2018 rookie season that restricted his usage to a schedule of pitching once a week and hitting only three to four times between starts. Down 2 games to 0, he came up big as the DH in game 3, getting 3 hits, a run and a RBI. He hit 165km/h (102.5mph) on the radar gun during the year, setting a new NPB record. Starting at DH and hitting 5th in Game 2, he homered off Shoichi Ino in the 5th to start the PL comeback from a 30 deficit. [168] Ohtani has been compared to Justin Verlander by some MLB scouts[169] with his ability and affinity to throwing harder in high-leverage spots and later in games. [69] In a June 13 game against the Tampa Bay Rays, Ohtani became the first Japanese-born player to hit for the cycle in MLB history. In his first pitching start against the Chicago White Sox on Sunday Night Baseball on April 4, 2021, he threw 4 innings, allowing one earned run and two unearned runs. While Soto won the round after a second tiebreaker, Ohtani set a record for the most home runs in the Derby of at least 500 feet with six. Over 34.5. [5] In Japan, Ohtani was known as a "yaky shnen" ()a kid who lives, eats and breathes baseball. Shohei Ohtani doesn't want to talk about free agency. He was the first NPB pitcher since Takao Kajimoto in 1963 to bat 3rd, 4th or 5th and the first rookie hurler to do so since Junzo Sekine in 1950. [141], The Angels avoided arbitration with Ohtani on October 1, signing Ohtani to a one-year deal worth $30 million for the 2023 season. He also became the first pitcher out of high school to notch two shutout victories within his first two years in the NPB since Yu Darvish. [94] He had already been selected as the starting designated hitter by the fans for the 2021 All-Star Game on July 1,[95] while being voted by the players as one of five starting pitchers to make the American League roster on July 4. In 21 games pitched, he had a career low in ERA at 1.86. On July 13, Ohtani made All-Star Game history again as the starting pitcher and leadoff designated hitter for the American League. [183] On February 9, 2022, Ohtani appeared in the Nintendo Direct to promote MLB The Show 22, as it was the first installment in the franchise to appear on a Nintendo console. The San Francisco Giants signed former New York Mets outfielder Michael Conforto this offseason. Sarah Valenzuela. Several predictions posit that Ohtani will sign with the Dodgers - the Los Angeles . By Chelsea Janes. [176] After Ohtani joined the Angels, Mizuhara suggested to Ohtani, as an icebreaker, to combine his hobby of playing video games by downloading Clash Royale with the rest of the clubhouse. The rule was colloquially dubbed the "Ohtani rule" because of Ohtani's unique prowess as a two-way player. Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge got lost in the pitching duel between Angels starter Patrick Sandoval and New York Yankees ace Gerrit Cole. [58], Ohtani was activated from the disabled list as a hitter on July 2, and went 0-for-4 against the Seattle Mariners. @ RhettBollinger. Ohtani makes more history", "Ohtani flirts with perfecto after making history at plate", "Rangers' Jonah Heim Hits First Grand Slam Against Shohei Ohtani in 10-5 Win Over Angels", "Shohei Ohtani Shows Off His 'Unbelievable' Talents to Dominate Red Sox at Fenway", "Shohei Ohtani went yard twice on Monday for his 8th career multi-HR game, breaking a tie with Ichiro for the most multi-HR games by a Japanese-born player in MLB history", "Ohtani becomes third Japanese player to join 100-homer club", "Sho-stopper: Ohtani does it all as Halos end skid", "Historic 2-game Sho: 8 RBIs, new-high 13 K's! The injury had originally occurred in the 2016 Japan Series, and had cost him a chance to play in the 2017 World Baseball Classic in addition to restricting his playing time during the season. [170] Whereas most pitchers throw only a little harder in big spots than they do in normal ones and most pitchers lose speed as the game goes on, Ohtani, like Verlander, are both able to reserve power and staying power in order to conserve energy without throwing max effort on every offering. [104] And for the second straight month, Ohtani also earned his second American League Player of the Month Award, becoming the first back-to-back Player of the Month Award winner in either league since Chase Headley in August and September 2012, and the first in the AL since Josh Hamilton in 2012. Topps Project70 Card 268 - 1975 Mookie Betts by Tyson Beck Project 70 2017 Topps Now Off-Season OS-80 Shohei Ohtani PSA 9 Mint RC 2017 ToppsOS-80 Shohei Ohtani PSA 9RC Coincidentally, it was also the first-ever grand slam hit by Heim. Ohtani's five strikeouts in the game brought him to 157 on the season, a new single-season high eclipsing his 2021 total of 156. Ohtani's 25th home run of the season was his 118th career home run, which surpassed Ichiro Suzuki's 117 career home runs to become second place on the all-time Major League home run list for Japanese-born players. He rarely played the field but did see some action at DH, hitting .202/.252/.376 with 5 home runs in 109 at bats. The Angels' Shohei Ohtani reacts after striking out during the third inning of their Cactus League game against the San Francisco Giants on Monday in Tempe, Ariz. (AP Photo/Morry Gash) 1 prospect", "Shohei Ohtani, the Most Exciting Player in the World, Is Coming to MLB", "Shohei Otani: 'Hope to do my best in America from next year on', "In Short Order: Shohei Otani is an even better hitter than you probably expected", "Shohei Ohtani's path to MLB cleared after new posting agreement is reached before deadline", "Angels' Shohei Ohtani beats Yankees' duo to win AL Rookie of the Year", "Angels officially welcome 2-way star Ohtani", "Angels' Shohei Ohtani had platelet-rich plasma injection in pitching elbow, GM confirms", "It's really happening: Two days after pitching, Shohei Ohtani will DH for the Angels", "Angels' Ohtani: 'Never going to forget' first at-bat, a single", "Sho time! Shohei Ohtani will become a free agent after this season. [111], From September 22 to 25, Ohtani drew 13 walks in a 4-game span, tying an AL/NL record set by Babe Ruth in 1930, Bryce Harper in 2016, and Yasmani Grandal in 2021. He also hit 162km/h twice against the second hitter, Aoi Enomoto. [7][19] Hokkaido said it would allow Ohtani to serve as a pitcher and position player; the Los Angeles Dodgers, who had become Ohtani's top-choice MLB team, were not prepared to let him play both ways. [176][177], When Ohtani announced in September 2017 that he wanted to pursue a career in MLB,[44] he signed with CAA Sports for representation. Reviews for Park Place Apartments. After pitching in his first spring game on Tuesday, Shohei Ohtani flew to Japan overnight via private jet in order to play for his home country in the upcoming World Baseball Classic. Ohtani also became the first player in nearly 100 years to start a game on the mound while also entering the day leading the Majors in home runs. [85] In his third start on April 26, once again against the Texas Rangers, Ohtani collected his first win of the season. Do not translate text that appears unreliable or low-quality. Shohei Ohtani, the reigning AL MVP and one of the most exciting players in all of baseball can also be one of the most confusing players to figure out how to deploy and value in fantasy baseball. [170], Ohtani is a left-handed batter. Ohtani was the first pick of the Fighters in the 2012 draft. and hit .238/.284/.376 in 204 plate appearances. [20] He was assigned the jersey number 11, previously worn by Yu Darvish.[21]. [42] He topped 4-time Cuban MVP Alfredo Despaigne easily at DH (190 votes to 47; 3 others combined for 8 votes) but the vote at pitcher was closer (he had 111 of 245 votes, Ishikawa 69 and Tsuyoshi Wada 61). Sasaki would assign toilet cleaning chores to Ohtani, to teach the youth pitcher humility. He won the 2018 American League (AL) Rookie of the Year Award and the 2021 AL Most Valuable Player Award. Valdez outpitched Ohtani with 6 2/3 innings of two-hit ball, and the Astros tied the longest opening day winning streak in major league history with a 3-1 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on . Shohei Ohtani. For other people with the surname, see, Pacific League Pitcher Best Nine and ERA leader (2015), Pacific League Most Valuable Player and first Japan Professional Sports Grand Prize (2016), Los Angeles Angels Opening Day starting pitchers, Commissioner's Historic Achievement Award, Nippon Professional Baseball Rookie of the Year Award, Best Major League Baseball Player ESPY Award, Edgar Martnez Outstanding Designated Hitter Award, List of Major League Baseball annual home run leaders, List of Major League Baseball annual triples leaders, List of Major League Baseball players from Japan, Major League Baseball Player of the Week Award, Major League Baseball Rookie of the Month Award, Major League Baseball Rookie of the Year Award, List of Major League Baseball players to hit for the cycle, "Shohei Otani named WBSC player of the year for 2015", "Ohtani makes history again, becoming 1st player to do this", "Father of baseball star Ohtani coached son with life tips in 'very ordinary' upbringing", "Column: Japanese baseball star Shohei Ohtani could be double threat in big leagues", "Japanese baseball star Shohei Ohtani could be double threat in big leagues", "Column: The next Shohei Ohtani is already waiting in the wings", "Column: Shohei Ohtani's Ruthian two-way journey began in Japan, accelerated under Joe Maddon", "Yanks intrigued by Japanese teen phenom with 100 mph fastball", "Rangers interested in Japanese righty Ohtani", "Cherington confirms team has met with Ohtani", "Japanese high school fireballer opting for MLB", "Fans taken by Ohtani's set of skills, innocence", "A Japanese propaganda film helped Shohei Ohtani follow a path to making baseball history", "Column: From Shohei Ohtani to Naomi Osaka, Japanese athletes dominate during golden era", "Inside Shohei Ohtani's Superhero Origin Story", "Fighters rookie Otani makes solid impression in mound debut", "Ogawa, Norimoto win Rookie of the Year awards", "Ohtani fireballs lead PL past CL in All-Star Game 2", "Samurai Japan unveils remaining players for MLB series", "Hiroshima's Kenta Maeda wins 2015 Sawamura Award", "Japanese righty Shohei Otani throws 100 mph and plays DH on off-days", "Japanese two-way prodigy Shohei Ohtani is already dominating at the Premier 12 tournament", "Otani makes history with Best Nine selection at both pitcher and DH", "Fellow All-Stars rave about Otani's special talents", "WATCH: Shohei Otani breaks his own record, throws Japan's fastest pitch ever", "Watch: Otani launches mammoth HR in NPB exhibition", "Here are four reasons why Shohei Ohtani was named MLB Pipeline's No. [38] In Game 1, he batted for DH Yuya Hasegawa and lined out in the 8th against Scott Mathieson. [189][190] In February 2022, the U.S. 11th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in a lawsuit against Bitconnect that the Securities Act of 1933 extends to targeted solicitation using social media.[191]. Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Angels reacts after scoring against the Seattle Mariners during the seventh inning at T-Mobile Park on July 11 in Seattle, Washington. [115] According to Baseball-Reference.com, Ohtani led the league with a wins above replacement (WAR) value of 9.1 and finished third in home runs (46), fourth in slugging percentage (.592), fifth in OPS (.965), first in triples (8), fifth in drawing walks (96), eight in stolen bases (26), second in extra base hits (80), second in intentional walks (20), fifth in OPS+ (158), and first in power-speed number (33.2). Barring a long-term extension in spring training, Shohei Ohtani's future will loom large over the Los Angeles Angels season. He singled against Ryo Akiyoshi in the 7th and scored on a hit by Kenta Imamiya for a 43 lead. [160], Ohtani is a 6-foot-4-inch (1.93m), 210-pound (95kg) right-handed starting pitcher. AP. The Los Angeles Dodgers are reportedly the "favorites" to nab Angels star . the legend of Shohei Ohtani as a two-way player truly began. [150] Ohtani announced; however, that he would only participate as a hitter in the All Star Game, even though he was considered as a candidate to start for the AL team. It was another incredible year for Shohei Ohtani, one where he dominated at the plate and on the mound, finishing with 34 home runs and a 15-9 record with a . For the season, he was 30 with a 4.23 ERA, 33 walks, and 46 strikeouts in 61+23 innings. [176] The interpreter steps into any number of sub-duties, including Ohtani's agendapreparation, play, recovery, media availability, breaking down advanced analytics and recovery timetables between Ohtani and the Angels organization. [112], The Angels announced on September 25 that Ohtani was named as both the team's Los Angeles Angels Player of the Year of 2021 and the team's Nick Adenhart Pitcher of the Year Award, as voted by his teammates. He had 1,268 vote points, to 298 for runner-up Laird. [144], On June 9, 2022, Ohtani hit a go-ahead two-run home run and pitched seven innings, including throwing a 101 mph fastball to strike out Rafael Devers to end the third - the hardest strikeout pitch of his career, in a 5-2 win over the Boston Red Sox to end the Angels' 14-game losing streak, the longest in franchise history. [105], On August 18, Ohtani pitched a dominant 8 innings against the Detroit Tigers, setting a career high by throwing 90 pitches to record 24 outs in eight innings while also hitting a solo homer for his 40th of the year in the eighth inning to lead the Angels to a 31 win. [28] The jersey he wore during the game sold for 1,752,000 yen ($17,000), making it the top-seller at the All-Star 2014 Charity Auction. [48], On December 8, 2017, Ohtani agreed to a deal with the Los Angeles Angels. Under a 75-pitch limit, he threw four scoreless innings, striking out seven batters and allowing one hit. [36] Ohtani was the same dominant pitcher on the mound. You've got the NFBC approach of Ohtani is one player and you have to decide each . [114] In the last game of the season against the Seattle Mariners, Ohtani passed teammate Mike Trout's 45 home runs in a single season to finish with the second-most home runs in a season in Angels history at 46, trailing only Troy Glaus' 47 home runs in 2000. Ohtani is represented by agent Nez Balelo of CAA Sports since 2017. RBIs", "Ohtani, Trout win starting spots for AL at ASG", "History repeats: Ohtani a two-way All-Star again", "Ohtani to slug -- but not pitch -- in All-Star Game", "Quite a Sho: Ohtani ties Ruth, passes Ichiro in same game", "Ohtani is 1st player with 30 homers, 10 wins", "Ohtani inks $30M deal for '23, gets 2 awards, extends career-best hit streak", "Major League Leaderboards 2022 Batters Statcast | FanGraphs Baseball", "DICTIONARY.COM ADDS OVER 4,000 NEW, UPDATED, AND REVISED WORDS TO THE WORLD'S PREMIER CATALOG OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE", "XXV 18U Baseball World Championship 2012", "WBSC names Annual Award winners: Baseball/Softball Player, Coach, Umpire and Federation of the Year", "2017 World Baseball Classic: Shohei Otani, the player we all wanted to see, won't play", " - : ", Baseball: Angels' Shohei Ohtani hammered, leaves with blister, "The most unhittable pitch in baseball is back", "Shohei Ohtani is making fantasy baseball leagues face difficult choices", "The Most Interesting Prospect in Baseball", "Shohei Ohtani Japanese Leagues Statistics & History", "Otani Becomes MLB Free Agent After Posting Deal Approved", "Ten Stats That Sum Up Shohei Ohtani's Historic 2021 Season", "A look at some of Shohei Ohtani's historical accomplishments this season for the #Angels", "Stephen A. Smith on Shohei Ohtani: 'Don't think it helps that the No. [44] In September, it was revealed that Ohtani would ask to be posted at the end of the season in order to play in Major League Baseball in 2018. THE GAME: The Angels jumped on the Oakland Athletics' bullpen for nine runs over a four-inning stretch and rolled to an 11-5 victory on Tuesday in Mesa, Ariz. Shohei Ohtani is now officially the first player to qualify as both a pitcher and a hitter in the same season (based on current qualification rules) Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) October 5, 2022 [132], On March 22, 2022, Major League Baseball introduced a new rule that allows for a pitcher in the batting order to remain in the game as a designated hitter after they are pulled from the pitching mound. He tied for 8th in the PL in wins and was third in strikeouts (behind Norimoto and Kodai Senga). Los Angeles Angels two-way star Shohei Ohtani, the 2021 American League MVP and runner-up in 2022, is set to hit free agency in 2023. In 2021, Ohtani compiled 46 home runs, 100 RBI and a .965 OPS en route to the American League MVP award. February 16, 2023 at 5:26 p.m. EST. He and Babe Ruth are the only two players in AL and NL history to win at least 10 games on the mound and hit at least 10 home runs in the same season. [134], On March 25, Ohtani was named as the Opening Day starter for the Angels' 2022 season. Through their first two at-bats, Ohtani and Judge were hitless. In the bottom of the 10th, he singled off Daichi Osera score Nishikawa with the winner; Nippon Ham would take the next three games to win their second Japan Series title. [51] Ohtani started as the designated hitter on Opening Day, March 29, against the Oakland Athletics, singling in his first at bat. [188] In November 2022, FTX filed for bankruptcy, wiping out billions of dollars in customer funds. Ohtani had decided that he was going to use the money in this manner no matter what his Derby outcome was.[100]. [13], Ohtani expressed a desire to move directly to the major leagues after high school and received interest from numerous teams including the Texas Rangers, Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers. [3], In 2022, Ohtani became the first player in the modern era to qualify for both the hitting and pitching leaderboards in one season, reaching the limits of 3.1 plate appearances and one inning pitched per game with 586 at bats against 166 innings pitched. After skipping a scheduled start against the Toronto Blue Jays due to a blister,[84] Ohtani made his second start of the season on April 20, against the Texas Rangers. He also tied for the MLB lead with eight triples to go along with 26 stolen bases. At the plate, Shohei Ohtani is hitting .279 with 70 RBIs, trailing only Toronto's Vladimir Guerrero Jr (73) and Boston's Rafael Devers (72). Shohei Ohtani ( , tani Shhei, born July 5, 1994), nicknamed "Shotime",[2] is a Japanese professional baseball pitcher, designated hitter and outfielder for the Los Angeles Angels of Major League Baseball (MLB). [50], Prior to the start of the season, the Angels announced that they would continue to use Ohtani as both a hitter and a pitcher. [131], On December 22, 2021, Sporting News released the article "The 50 greatest seasons in sports history, ranked." It was all great fun for baseball, which is obviously thriving like never before. [97], Ohtani participated in the Home Run Derby on July 12. The first player in MLB history. Shohei Ohtani has agreed to a $30 million deal with the Los Angeles Angels for the 2023 season in the two-way superstar's final year of arbitration eligibility before free agency.. Angels star Shohei Ohtani bats during a spring-training workout on Feb. 17. Shohei Ohtani reacts to hitting a foul ball while playing against the Houston Astros. [101] After pitching a perfect first inning, he also became the first player in major league history to compete in the Home Run Derby and earn a win as the starting pitcher in the All-Star Game. Ohtani has batted .268/.357/.534 with 34 homers, 27 doubles, six triples and 89 RBIs through his first 143 games this season. Even so, it doesn't sound as though two-way phenom Shohei Ohtani and the Los Angeles Angels are likely to reach a deal before it's go time. He was the second player, following Osamu Takechi (also 1950), to start a game at pitcher, bat in the heart of the order (3rd through 5th) and get a hit and a run batted in (RBI) in that game. Then in the sixth inning, Ohtani declared himself the most valuable player. He got nearly double as many votes as any other pitcher for the PL for the 2016 NPB All-Star Game; he had 300,025 while #2 Shota Takeda had 158,008. With the count 01, Ohtani threw a fastball that registered 162km/h (101mph) on the stadium radar gun and shattered Ginji's bat in half. [116], Ohtani was unanimously voted the American League Most Valuable Player, becoming the 23rd pitcher and first designated hitter to win the award. [30], During the postseason, Ohtani was chosen to become a member of the national team, dubbed Samurai Japan, and participated in the Suzuki All-Star Series,[31] a five-game friendly competition with a squad of major leaguers. Ohtani took longer to pitch in 2022 because he regularly shakes off his catcher. Shohei Ohtani pitched 2 1/3 hitless innings in his only spring training outing on the mound for the Angels before he joins Japan for the World Baseball Classic. [96] Additionally, Ohtani won the Best Major League Baseball Player ESPY Award, becoming the first Japanese player to win the award. 45, one off MLB lead", "Ohtani joins Giants legend Mays in exclusive stat club", "Ohtani a triple threat as Halos rout Mariners", "Fearsome Ohtani walking at historic rate", "Ohtani named team MVP and Pitcher of Year", "46 HRs, 100 RBIs: Shohei caps dream season", "Register Players Encyclopedia - Baseball-Reference.com", "A 2-way and a 2-time MVP in Ohtani, Bryce", "Angels' Shohei Ohtani wins American League MVP", "The '21 All-MLB Team is here. [78][79] He adjusted his diet based on blood-sample analysis and started squatting heavy again, focusing on strengthening his lower half and bulking up to 225 pounds. He made the Best Nine as the PL's top hurler. This is the online version of our daily . [137] During a game against the Astros on April 20, Ohtani batted twice in the top of the first inning, becoming the first starting pitcher to do so since at least 1900. [72] On July 24, 2020, Ohtani was the first ever automatic player on second base in an official MLB game at the start of the 10th inning as part of one of the new 2020 MLB season rules in a game against the Oakland Athletics. [67] On October 1, Angels general manager Billy Eppler announced that Ohtani underwent successful Tommy John surgery. Los Angeles Angels two-way star Shohei Ohtani is scheduled to be a free agent following the 2023 season in which he's expected to earn a contract upwards of $500 million attached to a long-term . [119] He became the first pitcher, the first Japanese player and the first Angels player to win the Edgar Martnez Outstanding Designated Hitter Award. [73], On July 26, 2020, Ohtani returned to the mound against the Oakland Athletics, making his first pitching appearance since September 2018. Two days later, he was placed on the disabled list for the first time in his MLB career due to a Grade 2 UCL sprain in his right elbow. see also Padres' 16-year-old prodigy Ethan Salas already living up to superstar potential Clayton Kershaw, maybe the best pitcher since Sandy Koufax, works as hard as ever to . [79] Free of the "Ohtani Rules", Ohtani would be in charge of his own daily diagnostics with Maddon to determine his pitching and hitting schedule. He was named the All-Star SP for the event (Sho Nakata was the only other member of Samurai Japan to be picked for the All-Star team). [21] Due to the high-profile nature of his two-way efforts, the Fighters protected Ohtani from some of the media onslaught, while Ohtani tended to keep to the team dormitory and the gym, leading a semi-monastic, baseball-centric existence, a byproduct for holding down two jobs in the big leagues and doing both at an elite level. (Alex Gallardo/AP . The deal was finalized the next day. He started game 5 at the Sapporo Dome and, although his team ultimately lost (31), he wasn't charged with an earned run (he gave up two unearned), and of the 12 outs he recorded in four innings, he got seven via strikeout. The free agency of Shohei Ohtani, baseball's only two-way superstar, looms for the Los Angeles Angels, but Ohtani wants to focus on winning games. Ohtani joined Babe Ruth in an exclusive 10-homer, 10-win club; moved up on the all-time home run list for Japanese-born players; and set a single-season career high in strikeouts. Forty-six home runs as a batter. [78][79] He threw bullpen sessions earlier than usual and took batting practice against live pitching, an offseason first for him. Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Angels before the Major League Baseball All-Star Game in Denver on Tuesday. . Last season was Ohtani's best as a starter, but his numbers at the dish took a bit of a dip. [4] Ohtani also led the majors with a home-to-first average time of 4.09 seconds, and was the only player in the majors to tally at least six triples and 34 home runs in 2022 (making him the only player to do so in a second consecutive year). [66] The Angels announced on September 25 that Ohtani had agreed to the procedure, which would keep him off the mound until 2020. In game 1, he pitched one shutout inning in relief, retiring three consecutive batters. Ed Rile and Bullet Rogan also accomplished this feat in the Negro leagues as well. Entering play Thursday . - High five SHOHEI OHTANI . Good luck. His 10.4 K/9 was the best in the league and opponents hit just .223 against him. Positions: Designated Hitter and Pitcher Bats: Left Throws: Right 6-4, 210lb (193cm, 95kg) . [12] In the 2012 18U Baseball World Championship, Ohtani had an 01 winloss record with 16 strikeouts, eight walks, five hits, five runs, and a 4.35 earned run average (ERA) in .mw-parser-output .frac{white-space:nowrap}.mw-parser-output .frac .num,.mw-parser-output .frac .den{font-size:80%;line-height:0;vertical-align:super}.mw-parser-output .frac .den{vertical-align:sub}.mw-parser-output .sr-only{border:0;clip:rect(0,0,0,0);height:1px;margin:-1px;overflow:hidden;padding:0;position:absolute;width:1px}10+13 innings pitched. [22] He was selected for a Pacific League roster spot for the 2013 All-Star Game.