Shohei Ohtani continues to showcase his talents with a 4 for 5, two home run game in a 7-4 win for the Los Angeles Angels against the Cleveland Indians on Friday night.
The two-way phenomenon, Shohei Ohtani, continued to show that he is the real deal for the Los Angeles Angels with his big performance on Friday night. Ohtani found himself slated in the three hole for the first time in his brief career and did not disappoint. The slugger was a clutch 4 for 5 with two home runs and three RBIs, the rookie’s first multi-home run game. Those two home runs were also his first away from Anehiem.
Ohtani’s big night also helped the Halos (55-56) top the American League Central-leading Indians (59-49) by a score of 7-4. Aside from the home runs, the two-way star stroked an eighth-inning single which helped spark a game-winning four-run rally.
According to MLB.com, Manager Mike Scioscia had this to say about Ohtani’s game.
“That’s what Shohei can do, that’s his talent,” Scioscia said. “It’s a great pickup game for us. We had a rough series [against the Rays], but we’re turning the page against a good team. We had to play well to beat them, and we did.”
The Indians are going to get sick of facing Ohtani as a hitter… In three games against the Tribe, Ohtani is 9-14 with three home runs and eight RBIs. Performances like those on Friday night tease us with possibilities of Shohei Ohtani’potential, especially as he continues to develop.
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In 184 at-bats this season, Ohtani has hit 11 home runs, drove in 28 RBI’s, and is hitting .272/.343/./533 with an OPS+ of 138. This production as a rookie is far above what anyone expected at the beginning of the season following Shohei’s rough start in Spring Training. It is reasonable to assume that Ohtani is a UCL sprain away from being the clear front-runner for the American League Rookie of the Year.
We can only hope that his elbow continues to heal and that the young phenom is able to take the hill again sooner, rather than later. As showcased Friday, Ohtani has massive power (his second home run traveled 443 feet) in the box as well as on the mound.
A team with a fully functional two way Ohtani, along with an always dominant Mike Trout, was very exciting to watch at the beginning of the season. The Los Angeles Angels were competitive, they will just need to stay healthy and to acquire some more depth in their rotation in order to have a chance to challenge the mighty Houston Astros in 2019.