Ohtani OK on the mound, stellar at the plate

ANAHEIM — There are many issues that separate Shohei Ohtani from his friends, however most prominently, he’s the one pitcher in baseball who may help his personal trigger on the plate.

And Ohtani did simply that in opposition to the Mariners on Friday night time, as he didn’t have his greatest stuff on the mound, permitting three runs over 5 innings in a no-decision, however went 3-for-4 with a two-run homer and a double in a 5-4 win at Angel Stadium. It marked the fourth time this season that Ohtani has had no less than three hits in a recreation he’s began on the mound, which is probably the most by a participant since Hall of Famer Warren Spahn did it 5 instances with the 1958 Milwaukee Braves.

It was additionally the third time this season that Ohtani completed one hit shy of hitting for the cycle whereas serving as beginning pitcher. No participant in NL or AL historical past has ever began a recreation on the mound and hit for the cycle in the identical recreation.

Ohtani, pitching with an additional day of relaxation for the primary time this season, struggled along with his command early, strolling the leadoff hitter on 5 pitches earlier than giving up a two-run homer to Jarred Kelenic on an 0-1 sweeper over the center of the plate. He ended up strolling three batters and throwing 31 pitches by means of a laborious opening body.

But he settled down after that and atoned for giving up the early homer by clubbing certainly one of his personal within the third off Mariners ace Luis Castillo. Ohtani completely obliterated a 1-0 changeup after a pitch-timer violation by Castillo, because the homer left the bat at 112.9 mph and traveled a projected 440 ft. It was the seventeenth homer of the 12 months for Ohtani and his second as a pitcher.