Los Angeles Angels: Shohei Ohtani off to hot pitching start

It’s been two full seasons since Los Angeles Angels fans had a glimpse at the thrilling two-way performances of Shohei Ohtani at the plate and on the mound. Baseball’s most unique man, the first MLB player since Babe Ruth to compete seriously as a pitcher and position player, threw only two outings last season on the heels of a 2018 Tommy John surgery.

Ohtani returned to the mound to make his Spring Training pitching debut on Friday. The best description of this outing? Promising.

Shohei Ohtani shows promise in spring training pitching debut for Los Angeles Angels

Ohtani entered his pitching performance on Friday night with a 40-pitch limit set by Angels management. No, he didn’t throw 40-straight strikes or retire every batter he faced. But, it’s impossible to be perfect in baseball. As Ohtani prepares for a full season of two-way baseball, this was everything Angels fans, management, and Ohtani himself wanted in the debut.

Not only did Ohtani touch 100 mph with his heater, but the two-way phenom struck out five of the ten Oakland Athletics batters he faced during 1 2/3 innings. Ohtani’s fastball consistently touched in the upper 90’s while three of the strikeouts came with his devastating splitter.

It’s easy to overreact to early Spring Training results. The 26-year-old also gave up three total hits – two went for extra bases – and surrendered two walks. Still, in Ohtani’s case, it’s okay for Angels fans to show a little excitement. The most unique man in baseball has the opportunity to leave a lasting mark on the game. Anytime a player is mentioned in the same breath as Ruth, that’s already special territory.

Ohtani came to the MLB with an enormous amount of hype. He largely lived up to this hype in his debut season, earning AL Rookie of the Year honors in 2018 after pitching to a 3.31 ERA in 10 starts in addition to 22 home runs and 61 RBIs at the plate.

Injuries derailed his pitching performances the next two seasons before the stress finally bled into his performance at the plate. Ohtani called his 2020 campaign, which focused almost solely on hitting, “pathetic.”

The 26-year-old got to work this offseason, taking a unique data-driven approach to his training. Between his promising mound debut and kicking off his Spring Training with a 468-foot mammoth homer earlier in the week, Ohtani appears ready to make an impact this season.