Opening weekend wrapped on Easter Sunday with all eyes on Shohei Ohtani making his first start of the 2021 season in primetime against the Chicago White Sox. Anytime Ohtani takes the mound is a must-watch for baseball fans across the country, but last night we witnessed something truly special.
Not only did Ohtani toe the rubber for the Angels, but he also slotted right in front of Mike Trout and Anthony Rendon in the number two hole of the batting order. This is the first time since 1903 that a pitcher hit for himself that high up in a starting lineup. In a game with great anticipation, Shotime certainly did not disappoint on the Sunday Night Baseball stage.
After completing a hitless top of the first inning against some of the White Sox’s most dangerous hitters, Ohtani stepped into the box and crushed the first pitch he saw from Chicago’s Dylan Cease into the stands 451 feet for a home run. What a first inning it was for Ohtani, as he topped 101 MPH on his fastball in the top half and then launched a ball 115 MPH in the bottom.
This is something that hasn’t been done in Major League Baseball for a long long time, and there is no question that this is only a positive for the sport. Ohtani carried a 3-0 lead and worked his way into the 5th inning before running into some control trouble. Back-to-back walks to Adam Eaton, and Jose Abreu loaded the bases for the White Sox, who previously had nothing going against the right-hander. A wild pitch scored Leury Garcia for Chicago’s first run of the game, followed by a crazy dropped third strike and throwing error by catcher Max Stassi resulted in two more White Sox coming around to score and tie the game at 3. On the same obscure play, Ohtani was taken out by a sliding Jose Abreu. He was immediately removed from the game, but the team told the media postgame that Ohtani would be fine and is just dealing with some general soreness.
Ohtani’s final line consisted of 4.2 IP allowing one earned run on two hits, while striking out seven and walking five. Ohtani relied heavily on his 4-seam fastball (56.5%) that averaged a tick over 98 MPH while mixing in his slider, split finger, and curveball. That splitter has the chance to be one of the best pitches in baseball, and once he polishes up its command it will certainly give hitters fits in the box. The five walks were the biggest concern of Ohtani’s outing and something to watch in his next start, which is expected to be Sunday against the Toronto Blue Jays.
The Angels went on to win the game 7-4 on a Jared Walsh walk-off three-run home run, and take 3 of 4 from the White Sox. With Trout and Ohtani, the Angels will be one of the most exciting teams to watch in 2021, especially if they can be competitive in the American League West.
I’ve said in the past that the amount of talent currently in Major League Baseball is as elite and deep as it has ever been before, and having an electric two-way player like Shohei Ohtani further emphasizes that. Just take the West Coast alone, which is historically not as big of a baseball market as the bigger cities on the East Coast. (New York, Boston, Philadelphia). From the World Champion Dodgers with a roster stacked full of all-stars, to the new face of baseball that is Fernando Tatis Jr. and the upstart San Diego Padres, to the Angels with the consensus best player in the sport in Trout and one of the most unique talents we’ve seen in Ohtani.
We are just days into the 2021 season, and it is clear we as baseball fans are in for an entertaining 162 game marathon. No matter what team you root for, enjoy Shohei Ohtani and just know that we are watching history right in front of our eyes.
For more MLB coverage, click here.
