Sho no: Ohtani not pitching in Toronto disappoints Blue Jays fans

For months Cory Gosselin was trying ahead to seeing Shohei Ohtani, a generational baseball expertise, pitch in particular person.

But the quirks of the Los Angeles Angels schedule noticed Ohtani pitch within the day recreation of a doubleheader in Detroit on Thursday, that means he gained’t take the mound on Friday at Toronto’s Rogers Centre and may not play in any respect within the first recreation of their three-game set.

“I’ve tried to get tickets to see Shohei for the last few years and for whatever reason, couldn’t make it,” mentioned Gosselin, who purchased tickets for Friday’s recreation months in the past after studying {that a} pal’s father can be visiting Canada from France for the primary time. 

Gosselin had informed his pal that with the schedule lining as much as have Ohtani pitch it was the best-case state of affairs for the daddy’s first-ever Major League Baseball recreation.

“It was pretty, pretty exciting that it worked out, or it was going to work out, but it sucks now that he might not even play,” he mentioned.

Ohtani signed with the Angels in December 2017, leaping from Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball. The 29-year-old is exclusive within the trendy sport of baseball as a result of he can pitch and hit on the highest ranges, a expertise not seen since all-time nice Babe Ruth.

The 2021 American League Most Valuable Player pitched an entire recreation, one-hit shutout with eight strikeouts on Thursday afternoon as Los Angeles beat the Tigers 6-0. He then added two residence runs within the night recreation of the doubleheader.

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Ohtani has a 9-5 document with a 3.43 earned-run common up to now this season with 156 strikeouts. At the plate, Ohtani is a .297 hitter with 37 residence runs, 79 runs batted in and 12 stolen bases.

Because Ohtani performs a lot he solely pitches each six video games. 

Originally scheduled to play in Toronto on Friday, a rainout on Wednesday at Detroit’s Comerica Park compelled the Tigers and Angels to play a doubleheader on Thursday, shifting Ohtani’s begin up a day. Playing twice in in the future additionally makes it extra possible that Ohtani will get a day without work on Friday.

“I had checked a couple of weeks ago, you know, counted ahead, and he was going to be pitching tomorrow and that was very exciting,” mentioned Gosselin on Thursday afternoon. “And then I saw last night that he was pitching in the doubleheader instead.”

Gosselin was not alone in his disappointment.

“Wow. I heard that secondary market tickets were selling for high prices for his start on Friday. Hopefully someone didn’t spend a fortune on them. Still get to see him hit though but damn!!” mentioned one Twitter consumer when Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith introduced that Ohtani wouldn’t take the mound at Rogers Centre.

Another poster mentioned he spent $140 to observe Ohtani pitch.

“I have row four tickets and I couldn’t be more bummed,” mentioned one other.

Ohtani had been rumoured to be on the commerce market — with the Blue Jays a possible vacation spot — as Major League Baseball’s deadline on Aug. 1 approached. But the Angels signalled on Wednesday that they’d be pushing for the playoffs once they traded for right-handed pitchers Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo Lopez from the Chicago White Sox.

That made Gosselin query the choice to begin Ohtani in Detroit as an alternative of Toronto much more because the Tigers are effectively out of the post-season hunt. The Blue Jays maintain the third and remaining wild-card spot within the American League, a berth Los Angeles is attempting to earn its means into, making the sequence in Toronto extra important for the AL’s post-season image.

“What blows my mind is that they are keeping him to make a playoff run so why switch it so that he doesn’t play the better team?” mentioned Gosselin. “Let’s face it, Detroit’s most likely a simple win, proper? Or they need to be a simple win. 

“So why not have Shohei go tomorrow against the better team and get an important win.”

Instead, Giolito (6-6) will make his Angels debut in Rogers Centre in opposition to Blue Jays ace Kevin Gausman (7-5). Toronto had Thursday off. 

More from Sportsnet

Angels’ Ohtani throws first profession complete-game shutout in win over Tigers

Angels GM says Shohei Ohtani won’t be traded

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