Shohei Ohtani of the Major League Baseball Angels started in the open game on the 21st with "No. 1 Pitcher" for the first time in 53 years, hit two hits, and threw one goal four times. The result was left with the dual wield of throwing.

The Angels played against Padres, to which Yu Darvish belongs, in the open game held in Arizona on the 21st, and Otani started in "No. 1 starting pitcher".



It is the first time in 53 years that a player has started as the first pitcher in the major leagues, and it is the first time in five years for Otani since 2016 when he was a professional baseball player and Nippon-Ham Fighters.



In the open game so far, Otani, who has four home runs and a batting average of 60%, carried a high fastball in front of the center in the first at bat, and when he marked a hit in nine consecutive games, he also hit the third at bat in the fifth inning. I hit the second hit on this day in the middle left.



In this game, Otani raised his batting average to 60%, 3 minutes and 6 at bats with 2 hits in 2 at bats.



On the other hand, as a pitcher who became the starting pitcher's mound for the third time in the open game, he lost one point at a time, but in the scene of bases loaded with two outs in the third inning, he struck out with a changing ball and survived the pinch.



Otani threw four times with 62 balls, the fastest was 162.6 km, two hits, five strikeouts and one goal.



Otani maintained good performance in both throwing and hitting just before the start of the season, and expectations for the dual wield revival this season have increased.

Director "Otani's power is recognized"

Shohei Ohtani hasn't played as a batter in the last three games since he played as the number one designated hitter in the open match against the Mariners on the 17th of this month.



Regarding this, Angels coach Joe Maddon said, "It was Otani's own choice," and he said that he was appointed as the first pitcher in the open game on the 21st, "I will participate as a batter on the day of pitching. I've been talking to him for the last few weeks and getting ready. "



On top of that, coach Maddon said, "In the National League, pitchers also enter the batting order, and it is not uncommon for pitchers to enter the batting order. But, of course, number one is usually impossible," he said. He expressed the idea that it was a good deal after recognizing the power of Otani, who continues to perform well with four home runs.



When asked if there was a possibility of allocating in the regular season, he said, "I didn't want to try it during the season, so it was this time to do it. Today was a big experience, including physical strength. I want to continue discussing how he feels. "

Experienced in the Nippon-Ham era 5 years ago

Shohei Ohtani of the Angels who started as "No. 1 pitcher" for the first time after transferring to the major league in the open game on the 21st.



During the professional baseball / Nippon-Ham era, he started as the "No. 1 pitcher" for the first time in the Softbank game held on July 3, 2016.



At this time, as a batter, he hit the lead batter home run in the first at-bat, and as a pitcher, he threw eight innings, five hits, and kept ten strikeouts with no runs, making him a winning pitcher.



It is the first time in five years since this match that Otani has participated as "No. 1 pitcher", and the first time since he transferred to the major leagues.



According to Angels, it is the first time in 53 years that Major League Baseball players have started as No. 1 pitchers since Twins' Caesar Tovar played in a regular season match in September 1968.