Won't you hit as much as you did last year? Ohtani, a high school senior who was happy with his first home run, did the manager operate?
Mar 02, 2025
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Ohtani played as a leadoff designated hitter in the home game against the Los Angeles Angels at Glendale Camelback Ranch in Arizona on the 1st (Korea time) and recorded 1 hit, 1 RBI, 1 run and 1 strikeout in 3 at-bats, including a home run.
The home run came in the first at-bat. The Angels, whose opponent is 'Friendly', and the starting pitcher was Yusei Kikuchi, a left-hander from Japan. Kikuchi, who signed a three-year, $63.68 million FA contract at the end of November last year and moved to the Angels, is also an alumnus of Hisashi Hanamaki High School in Iwate Prefecture, Ohtani and Japan. Ohtani is three years his junior.
The first match between the two was a close game. On the ball count 1B2S, Ohtani drove to the full count, picking a back-to-back 81.2 mile curve wide outside Kikuchi's fourth pitch and a 95.4 mile fastball outside the fifth. Then, when a 93.9-mile fastball flew into the high strike zone outside the sixth pitch, he lightly pushed it and connected it with a solo home run that went well over the left fence. It was a home run that fell into the bullpen behind the fence in the left area at the left-center point with 380 feet written on it. Statcast did not measure the ball's detailed indicators, but it appeared to have flown nearly 400 feet.
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After the game, Ohtani said "My last swing was a little late in my last at-bat today, and my shoulder felt very good. It was a good test (to check the condition of the surgical site)."
But Kikuchi, who allowed a home run, said "Definitely looks in good condition. It's my first home run and it's good enough to hit it that far. So I'm sure Ohtani will be able to do the same numbers as last year"He was pleased as if it were his job. In other words, it is expected that Ohtani will be able to reproduce last year's batting performance with 54 home runs, 59 steals, and 130 RBIs.
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Ohtani, who started hitting in earnest in the exhibition game as of this day, is also conducting pitching rehabilitation. As a batter, he will play in the Tokyo Series against the Chicago Cubs on March 18-19, but as a pitcher, he is rehabilitating with the goal of joining the rotation in mid-May.
As Roberts said, if Ohtani resumes his dual pitching and hitting job, he will have more days off than last year, when he only played as a designated hitter. In other words, Freddie Freeman and Will Smith will be designated hitters on the day Ohtani takes a break.
Ohtani received two Tommy John Surgery (TJS) in the fall of 2018 and September 2023 during his time with the Los Angeles Angels. And in the second game of the World Series against the New York Yankees last year, he injured his left shoulder while stealing second base in the seventh inning, so he underwent surgery and his pitching rehabilitation was extended for about one to two months.
However, the batter Ohtani's batting is even questionable whether he was the player who underwent surgery. "Given the timing of spring training, I don't think Ohtani had surgery during the offseason," Roberts said. It's in a really good condition."
"Regardless of the results of today's batting, the most important achievement is that I was able to hit without any physical problems in three at-bats," Ohtani said. It's so nice."
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
