The Japanese baseball star has been talked about as an exceptional dual-threat for years. But this season he has lifted his game to new heights
The idea of Shohei Ohtani – a man capable of hurling a 101mph fastball and crunching a 450ft home run in the same game – starting his American adventure in the minor leagues seems absurd now. Yet three years ago, during his first spring training with the Los Angeles Angels, observers believed Ohtani’s performance warranted such a move.
Ohtani’s arrival into Major League Baseball from his Japan was accompanied with hefty amounts of hype. Here was the rarest of players: an overwhelming pitcher who could also dominate with the bat. And yet in Angels’ spring training he managed just four hits in 32 at-bats while striking out 10 times. As a pitcher, the right-hander allowed nine runs and nine hits in only 2 2/3 innings, with opponents batting .529 against him.
