MESA, Ariz. — Shohei Ohtani was scheduled to take the mound for two innings in his 2023 spring training pitching debut Tuesday afternoon but as with everything else in his major league career, he gave even more.
The Angels’ two-way star made his last appearance with the Angels before leaving for Japan in advance of World Baseball Classic play. He faced six batters through two innings and then faced two more bonus hitters in the third inning against the Oakland Athletics.
His final act on the mound was to hop in disbelief after his pitch to Ryan Noda was called out of the strike zone for a walk. He departed after a visit from Manager Phil Nevin, content after throwing 33 pitches with two walks, two strikeouts and no hits.
“This was the first real game this year so I wanted to ease in and try to hit around 95 (mph) and I was able to do that,” Ohtani said through an interpreter about his 1-2-3 first inning. “In the second inning, I would have really liked to hit 100, but (it was) 98. I was pretty satisfied with that.”
Using PitchCom himself and sending his pitch selections to catcher Logan O’Hoppe, instead of the other way around, Ohtani was looking for a way to get a jump on the new pitch clock. While doing so, he became even more difficult to take your eye off of while in constant motion.
His PitchCom device appeared to be on his upper left arm as he fidgeted with that side of his upper body between pitches, but when asked where it was located, he protected the information like a trade secret.
“It’s a good sign that you guys don’t know,” Ohtani said, first getting a laugh from Japanese reporters gathered around him, then another when his answer was translated into English.
If Tuesday’s Ohtani experience was anything, it was a sign that the star is at ease while at a critical juncture of his baseball career.
As arguably the world’s most popular baseball player, he now pivots toward baseball’s world tournament with a chance to bring…
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