Los Angeles Angels star Shohei Ohtani wrote more chapters in a still-growing record in major league baseball on Tuesday night.
• Also read: MLB: Jays lose despite Bo Bichette’s skill
• Also read: MLB: a hit in defeat for Charles Leblanc
In the 5-1 win against the Oakland Athletics, the outfield player and pitcher again shone in every respect. In fact, the 28-year-old athlete blinded opposing hitters for six innings while hitting two hits in three plate appearances at bat, including a solo homer.
Most importantly, he made sure to complete three Weapon Feats within a single game. That’s how he connected Babe Ruth with his 10th win of the campaign on the mound while posting at least 10 home runs. The “Bambino” had made it with the Boston Red Sox in 1918, recording 13 wins and hitting 11 long balls.
Then, with his four-base hit in the seventh inning on Tuesday, Ohtani ranked sole second in major league history for home runs by a Japanese-born player. With 118 such shots, he has just overtaken Ichiro Suzuki and will be chasing leader Hideki Matsui (175).
And to top it off, the Angels flag-bearer fueled five rivals in Oakland to take his strikeout total to a career-high 157 this year. Nothing surprises interim manager Phil Nevin either.
“It feels like he does something special every time we’re on the field,” he told MLB.com.
“It’s exceptional, it shows his athletic ability and talent,” added athletics head coach Mark Kotsay. At this point you can say it’s in a class by itself, because it is. He’s the only player who can do it all and he’s working very well.
One day at a time
Still, Ohtani and his teammates are primarily focused on their day-to-day duties and not just the No. 17’s exploits. Certainly, the Angels (48-63) can forget about the playoffs and the sources of motivation could be more both single and collective order, especially at the Japanese. However, the latter has simpler goals.
“I just want to be able to play as many games as possible. I’m taking it one fight at a time and just trying to stay sane,” he said through an interpreter.
On the other hand, at his young age, the headmaster in question is likely to have more exploits to come in the coming months barring injuries and other unforeseen obstacles.
“When you watch it every night you try not to take anything for granted, but it’s really impressive of him,” Nevin said. He’s a great team-mate and we don’t take that lightly. On the other hand, it’s very nice to be part of all this.”
-This season, Ohtani is 10-7 with a 2.68 ERA on the mound. On offense, he hit 25 total homers and 66 RBIs while maintaining a .256 average.