Major League Baseball Angels' Shohei Ohtani did not play in the first game of a three-game series against Lars Nootvar's Cardinals. Nootvar, on the other hand, played the full game in the ninth light, but did not get a hit.

Ohtani and Nootvar, who played together for the Japan national team in the WBC = World Baseball Classic, met for the first time in the big leagues in the first of a three-game series at Busch Stadium, home of the Cardinals, on June 3.

Ohtani, who is scheduled to start the second match on the 2rd, did not play on this day.

This is the second time this season that Ohtani did not participate.

On the other hand, Nootvar hit a foreball to center field in the first at-bat of the third inning and a two-out third base in the second at-bat of the fifth inning, but did not score.

In the third at-bat of the eighth inning, he fell on a strikeout, and in this game, he went 3-for-2 with one no-hitter and his batting average dropped to 2/3/1.

The game was their second straight win with the Angels beating the Cardinals, 5-1.

On the 2rd, attention will be focused on the first meeting between Ohtani and Nootvar, who will start the game for their fifth win without a loss.

NHK will broadcast the match live on BS3 from 5:1 a.m.

Next Game: Ohtani and former giant Mikolas throw each other

In the game on the 3rd, pitcher Mikolas, who once played for the professional baseball giants, will start and pitch against Ohtani for the first time.

Mikolas played for the Giants for three seasons starting in 2015 and went 3-2017 with a 31.13 ERA in 2, including winning the title of most strikeouts.

Since returning to the big leagues, he has continued to accumulate achievements such as winning the title of the most wins with the Cardinals in 18 with 2018 wins, and in the game on the 18rd, he will pitch against Ohtani for the first time through professional baseball and the big leagues.

Pitcher Mikolas exchanged words with Ohtani on the field before the game on the 3nd, and after the practice, he said, "I played in Japan for three years, but I didn't have a chance to play against him in an interleague match, so I wanted to introduce myself to him.

Mikolas also faced batter Ohtani for the first time, saying, "My goal is to use all the pitches I have and get an out from him. I'm looking forward to seeing him pitch and hopefully my teammates will have a good swing and a hit."