Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers stood in the bullpen at Angel Stadium. He threw 15 pitches, the most since his surgery, in just four days since throwing the previous bullpen session. 스포츠토토
Japanese media including Full Count reported on Ohtani’s bullpen pitching on Tuesday (Korea time). Ohtani threw 15 pitches at Angel Stadium, an away game. This is the most number of pitches thrown against a sitting catcher.
The venue of the game has drawn more attention as it is Angel Stadium. Ohtani has taken a meaningful step toward returning to the mound as a pitcher and batter for six years since his Major League debut in 2018. According to the full count, Ohtani threw a ball from the bullpen at Angel Stadium after the first game of a doubleheader against the Cincinnati Reds on Aug. 24 last year.
Ohtani is going through a smooth rehabilitation process before returning to the pitcher. He pitched again in four days following the 1st when he threw with the catcher seated for the first time. The pitch interval has been shortened and the number of pitches has increased.
After pitching in the bullpen, Ohtani will also play in the game. Ohtani will start as the first designated hitter in the game against the Los Angeles Angels, which starts at 10:38 a.m. on Saturday. Following Ohtani, the Dodgers have organized the starting lineup in the order of Mookie Betts (right fielder), Freddie Freeman (first baseman), Teoscar Hernandez (left fielder), Gavin Lux (second baseman), Tommy Edman (center fielder), Max Muncy (third baseman), Miguel Rojas (striker) and Austin Barnes (catcher).
The Dodgers will face Angels right-handed pitcher Griffin Canning. Ohtani is meeting Canning for the first time as an opposing pitcher. The starting pitcher for the Dodgers is Bobby Miller.
Ohtani played an away game at Angel Stadium for the first time since moving to Dodgers on Monday in a mega 10-year, 700 million dollar contract. A tribute video welcoming Ohtani’s visit was shown at the stadium.
Ohtani is challenging himself to become the first 50-50 player in the Major League through Friday with 44 homers and 46 steals. He recorded one hit from four times at bat through a triple, and in the 10th inning, he got on base with two outs and a runner on the second base with a 3-2 lead. Fans booed him. The game ended with “Otani skipped Betts.” Betts hit a three-run homer that widened the score gap to 6-2.
