Angels' Shohei Ohtani: Fans eight in minor-league game
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Ohtani struck out eight over four innings in a minor-league start against the Diamondbacks on Friday.
Ohtani allowed four hits in the contest, with one of those being a homer by Gavin Conticello. He threw 78 pitches in the contest while issuing one walk along with the aforementioned eight strikeouts. Ohtani is scheduled to start Opening Day against the Athletics on Thursday, and the 2021 AL MVP should again be a two-way stalwart for the 2023 season.
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Angels' Shohei Ohtani: Starting Opening Day
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Ohtani is set to start Opening Day against the Athletics on Thursday, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.
Although many of his fellow World Baseball Classic participants are taking their time ramping up their activities ahead of the regular season, Ohtani will toe the rubber in the season opener fresh off a WBC championship win with Japan. The uber-talented 28-year-old produced a impressive 2.33 ERA and 1.01 WHIP with 219 strikeouts over 166 innings in 28 starts with the Angels last season, in addition to his exploits as a hitter.
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Angels' Shohei Ohtani: Will start MiLB game Friday
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Ohtani's next start start will come Friday in a minor-league game, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.
Ohtani will pitch in a game on the backfields in Arizona where the Angels will be able to control the environment. The two-way star is returning to spring camp after winning MVP honors for both his pitching and hitting work in the just-concluded World Baseball Classic that his native Japan won for the third time. Ohtani likely won't pitch in any more Cactus League games with the season just a week away, but he looks ready to roll for a big 2023 campaign.
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Angels' Shohei Ohtani: Fans Trout to win WBC
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Ohtani fired a scoreless inning with a strikeout to pick up a save to give Team Japan a 3-2 win over Team USA in Tuesday's World Baseball Classic final.
He also went 1-for-3 with a walk at the plate. Ohtani was named Most Valuable Player for his efforts in the tournament, as he hit .435/.606/.739 through seven games and also registered a 1.86 ERA in a pair of appearances. The strikeout was notable, as he fanned Mike Trout to end the contest and gave Japan their third WBC title in five tournaments. He did walk Jeff McNeil, but then got Mookie Betts to hit into a double play before fanning his Los Angeles teammate. Ohtani, Trout and the rest of the MLB players will now head to their spring training homes to get ready for the season.
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Angels' Shohei Ohtani: Could pitch in WBC final
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Ohtani could pitch in Tuesday's World Baseball Classic against Team USA if Team Japan advances to the final, Marly Rivera of ESPN.com reports.
Team Japan manager Hideki Kuriyama said that it's a non-zero chance that the two-way star would be able to pitch if Japan was able to defeat Mexico in the semifinal. Angels manager Phil Nevin had told reporters that Ohtani was unlikely to pitch past the quarterfinals, but the right-hander hurler told reporters shortly after that a decison hasn't been made. If Ohtani does pitch, it likely would be a short outing; possibly as a relief option to close out the game.
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Angels' Shohei Ohtani: May not pitch past WBC quarters
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Angels manager Phil Nevin said Monday that Ohtani's final appearance as a pitcher in the WBC would come in the quarterfinals, but Ohtani subsequently indicated that such a decision hasn't yet been made, Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times reports.
The report comes by way of Japanese journalist Naoyuki Yanagihara of Sports Nippon Newspapers. Ohtani is expected to pitch for Japan against Italy in a quarterfinal matchup early Thursday morning, and if that is indeed his final outing on the mound in the WBC, it would prevent him from throwing in a potential championship game in Miami on Tuesday, March 21. From a scheduling standpoint, Nevin's direction makes sense, as Ohtani typically pitches on five days of rest, and there would be four days between Japan's quarterfinal contest and the championship game (if the team makes it that far). Given Ohtani's response to word of Nevin's comments, however, it may not be set in stone that the star hurler would be kept off the mound in a potential title game.
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Angels' Shohei Ohtani: Opens WBC in fine fashion
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Ohtani pitched four scoreless innings for Japan against China in the World Baseball Classic on Thursday, allowing one hit and no walks while striking out five batters. He also went 2-for-4 with a double, a run and two RBI as a hitter.
Ohtani unsurprisingly starred for Team Japan in the squad's 8-1 victory, as he once again demonstrated his immense talent both on the mound and at the plate. This was the second time he's started a game as a pitcher this spring, with the other being in a Cactus League contest March 1 during which he hurled 2.1 scoreless frames. Where Ohtani is being drafted in fantasy is partly dependent on how he's able to be utilized, but he's unlikely to fall out of the first round in any format.
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Angels' Shohei Ohtani: Arrives in Japan
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Ohtani is in Japan to prepare for the World Baseball Classic, Ben Verlander of Fox Sports reports.
Ohtani made his spring pitching debut for the Angels on Tuesday, hurling 2.1 scoreless innings against Oakland and allowing no hits and two walks while striking out two batters. He made his way back to his native country soon thereafter, and he'll now shift his focus to helping Japan vie for the WBC title. The tournament will take place from March 8 to March 21, so Ohtani will likely be away from the Angels for the next several weeks.
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Angels' Shohei Ohtani: Named Opening Day starter
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Ohtani has been named the Angels' Opening Day starter.
He'll get the ball on March 30 in Oakland and is also lined up to pitch the home opener on April 7 against the Blue Jays. The plan is for Ohtani to start on five days' rest regularly in 2023 after he made 16 of 28 starts on six or more days of rest in 2022. He actually performed better last season when going on five days' rest, posting a 1.61 ERA over 12 starts.
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Angels' Shohei Ohtani: Will make only spring start March 1
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Ohtani will make his only Cactus League start of 2023 on March 1 against the Brewers, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.
Ohtani will make only one start in Arizona over the spring because he'll be joining Team Japan for the World Baseball Classic. The Angels are committed to having the two-way star pitch more often in 2023, and it certainly makes sense after he posted a 2.33 ERA and 219:44 K:BB over his 166 innings on top of his offensive heroics. Even in leagues where Ohtani is treated as two different players, he should go off the board early at both positions.
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Angels' Shohei Ohtani: Less rest likely in 2023
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Manager Phil Nevin said Ohtani will pitch every sixth day as much as possible in 2023, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.
Ohtani made 12 starts on five days' rest last season, but he pitched on at least six days rest for his other 16 starts. The 28-year-old posted a 2.33 ERA across a career-high 166 innings during 2022 and finished fourth in voting for the AL Cy Young Award. Assuming he stays healthy in 2023, Ohtani should be able to top that workload while pitching every sixth day, which would only further add to his value as one of the best hitters and pitchers in the league.
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Angels' Shohei Ohtani: Five strong innings
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Ohtani (15-9) allowed one earned run on one hit and one walk while striking out six across five innings to take the loss Wednesday against the Athletics.
The only baserunners Ohtani allowed came in the fifth inning, though that was enough for him to surrender a run and to take his ninth loss of the season. Otherwise, he was extremely impressive, racking up 13 swinging strikes on only 69 total pitches. Ohtani closed the season by allowing one or fewer earned runs in six of seven starts. Overall, he maintained a 2.33 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and 219 strikeouts across 166 innings.
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Angels' Shohei Ohtani: Avoids arbitration for 2023
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Ohtani and the Angels agreed to a one-year, $30 million deal Saturday, avoiding arbitration for next season.
The 2023 season will be Ohtani's final year before free agency, and he'll make the largest ever amount for an arbitration-eligible player. He'll take that record from Mookie Betts, who received $27 million in 2020. He'll also set the record for the largest raise in arbitration, as he made $5.5 million this season. His $24.5 million raise smashes the previous record of $9.6 million set by Jacob deGrom.
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Angels' Shohei Ohtani: Flirts with no-no
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Ohtani (15-8) earned the win Thursday against the Athletics with eight shutout innings. He recorded 10 strikeouts while surrendering two hits and one walk.
Ohtani was masterful Thursday and came four outs away from recording his first career no-hitter before a base hit from Conner Capel spoiled the bid. His 10 strikeouts on the night were the highest he's recorded since July 28, and the win gives him five in his last six starts. He has a 2.35 ERA and 213 strikeouts on the season, and when considering his strong offensive season, he should challenge Aaron Judge for the AL MVP.
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Angels' Shohei Ohtani: Strikes out seven in win
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Ohtani (14-8) gave up two earned runs on three hits and six walks while striking out seven over five-plus innings to earn the win in a 4-2 victory over the Twins on Friday.
Ohtani's stuff looked crisp, and he racked up seven strikeouts on 12 swinging strikes en route to his 14th win the season. The major blemish on his line comes from the six free passes that he issued. Ohtani had not previously walked more than four batters in a game all season. The control problems could possibly be attributed to heavy rain that affected the playing field all night. Ohtani also appeared to have caught Gary Sanchez looking on a 3-2 pitch in the sixth, but home plate umpire Hunter Wendelstedt didn't ring the batter up. Ohtani will carry his excellent ERA of 2.47 into his next start, which is expected to come against the Rangers.
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Angels' Shohei Ohtani: Not in Thursday's lineup
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Ohtani isn't in the lineup Thursday against the Rangers, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.
Ohtani went 5-for-12 with a double, three runs and four strikeouts over the last three games and will get a day off prior to Friday's scheduled start in Minnesota as a pitcher. Mike Trout is resting his legs as the designated hitter and batting second.
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Angels' Shohei Ohtani: Blanks Seattle
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Ohtani (13-8) earned the win during Saturday's 2-1 victory over Seattle, allowing three hits and one walk while recording eight strikeouts in seven scoreless innings.
Ohtani scattered his four baserunners evenly and didn't allow any Mariners past second base while helping himself out with an RBI double in the first inning and a run in the fourth. The 28-year-old tossed 73 of 107 pitches for strikes with 16 of the swinging variety and has now won four of his last five starts, posting a 0.53 ERA with 37 strikeouts in 34 innings during the span. Ohtani's 2.43 ERA and 196 strikeouts rank sixth in MLB, while only Spencer Strider has thrown fewer than his 148 innings among those in the top 14 on the strikeout leaderboard. Ohtani is currently projected to take the mound again next weekend in Minnesota.
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Angels' Shohei Ohtani: Expected to make next start
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Angels manager Phil Nevin indicated that the blister that caused Ohtani to depart early from his last pitching start Saturday isn't going to prevent him from making his next start on the mound this coming weekend against the Mariners, the Associated Press reports.
Ohtani had tossed 79 pitches over five innings and surrendered only one run before the blister caused his early departure last Saturday in Houston, though he stayed in the contest as a hitter. The two-way star remained in the lineup at designated hitter Sunday, and Nevin stated that Ohtani will complete his normal bullpen session and be ready for his next scheduled pitching start without taking any extra time off.
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Angels' Shohei Ohtani: Two-run shot in loss
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Ohtani went 2-for-4 with a home run, a double, two RBI and one run scored in Sunday's loss versus the Astros.
Concerns over a lingering blister resulted in Ohtani being a late addition to the lineup, but that could not keep him from mashing Sunday. He slugged a two-run home run in the top of the first inning, his 34th long ball of the season. The two-way star has four home runs over his last six games and continues to make his case to win his second straight MVP award. He is slashing .266/.355/.539 in 577 plate appearances this season.
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Angels' Shohei Ohtani: Included in Sunday's lineup
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Ohtani (blister) is in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Astros.
Ohtani was lifted from Saturday's start due to a blister on his right index finger, but he remained in the game as the designated hitter, and he will hit again a day later. It remains to be seen if Ohtani's finger issue will affect the Angels' upcoming pitching plans, but no changes have been announced as of yet.
