Los Angeles Angels star pitcher and batter Shohei Ohtani had an impressive performance on Wednesday, April 5th, securing a 4-3 win over their division rivals the Seattle Mariners. Although Ohtani struggled in the first inning, allowing one run, he held the Mariners scoreless for the remainder of his six innings pitched, giving up only three hits while striking out eight batters.
In addition to his impressive pitching, Ohtani also drove in a run at the plate, hitting a single in the seventh inning off Mariners reliever Andrés Muñoz to extend the Angels lead to 4-1. Despite walking four batters and hitting two, Ohtani’s contributions were enough to secure the win for the Angels.
“He just didn’t have the command that he normally does,” Angels manager Phil Nevin said. “I’m sure he’ll tell you the same, but when he’s not on his game and pitches like that, we’ll take that every day against a good lineup.”
Ohtani struggled with his fastball command early on, but he improved in the final three innings, striking out five batters and giving up only one hit. He struck out A.J. Pollock with his final pitch of the game, bringing his total pitch count to 111.
“The biggest thing for me was I couldn’t command my fastball,” Ohtani said. “That was the biggest issue I was seeing throughout the game.”
Fun fact: Ohtani made history in MLB by being the first player to be hit with a pitch clock violation as both a pitcher and a hitter.
Shohei Ohtani: 1st Player ever to have a Pitch Clock Violation as a Pitcher AND Hitter. 🍾
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) April 5, 2023