"No matter where he is, no matter what position he plays..." Ohtani has also written history of DH selection for four consecutive years and All-Star games
Jul 04, 2024
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MLB announced the starting players for each position in both leagues based on the results of the second fan vote on the 4th (Korea time).
Ohtani faced Philadelphia Phillies Kyle Schwarber in the second round of fan voting in the National League (NL) designated hitter category and received the honor of starting with a 65% overwhelming vote.
With this, Ohtani has set a record of starting as a designated hitter in the All-Star Game for four consecutive years since 2021 when he was with the Los Angeles Angels. In the history of the All-Star Game, Ohtani is the only one who has dominated the designated hitter for four consecutive years with fan voting.
This year's All-Star Game will be held at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, on the 17th. However, Ohtani decided not to participate in the home run derby held the previous day (16th), just like Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees. This is because of the rehabilitation process as a pitcher following Tommy John Surgery that he received last fall. It is known that there was an active dissuasion from the Dodgers club.
However, Ohtani is expected to play as the NL leadoff designated hitter and play about three at-bats.
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MLB explained "This is the first time this year that there has been only one player in both leagues who has been honored for two consecutive years since fan voting began in 1970." In other words, none of the remaining 16 players except Ohtani and Judge were selected by fan voting last year.
Let's look at Ohtani's All-Star Game history for the last three years, 2021-2023.
2021 All-Star Game at Coors Field in Denver. In the second round of voting, Ohtani was selected as a starting member of the AL designated hitter category, with 63% of the vote, significantly outpacing Boston Red Sox JD Martinez (20%) and Houston Yordan Alvarez (17%). He was also listed as an AL starter. Ohtani is the first pitcher and batter to be listed in the starting lineup in the history of the All-Star Game.
The line-up card went into 'Leadoff Pitcher'. 'Pitcher' Ohtani faced three batters in one inning and turned them all on a mis-hit ball, and 'Batter' was grounded out to second base in the top of the first inning and ground out to first base in the top of the third inning, respectively. After pitching one inning as a pitcher, the position was changed to a designated hitter.
In the 2022 All-Star Game held at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, he beat Alvarez 52% to 48% in the second round of voting to win the honor of another AL designated hitter. In addition, he was listed on the list of pitchers selected by combining player voting and the evaluation of the Commissioner's Secretariat. Ohtani, who did not actually take the mound, played as a leadoff designated hitter and hit a heavy hit against NL starter Clayton Kershaw in the top of the first inning, and walked against Joe Musgrove in the second at-bat in the third inning. getting on base at 100 percent.
Ohtani received 2,646,307 votes in the first fan vote last year, and was selected as the designated hitter in the AL's most votes. Last year was the first time Ohtani won the most votes in the league. He struck out and walked as the second designated hitter in the All-Star Game at T-Mobile Park in Seattle. He was also listed on the pitching list, but he also did not take the mound.
Since he will not play as a pitcher this season, he will not be included in the NL pitching list.
jhno@sportschosun.com
