'Is this really Shohei Ohtani?' After being hit by a pitch and replaced the previous day, he started and threw a 159 km/h fastball! He even hit a leadoff home run in the first inning.

*This content was translated by AI.

It seems unbelievable that it is really him. Shohei Ohtani (32, Los Angeles Dodgers), who was replaced after being hit by a pitch the previous day (27th), started the next day and also hit a home run at the plate.

On the 28th (Korean time), Ohtani started as the pitcher and leadoff hitter for the Los Angeles Dodgers in a home game against the Colorado Rockies at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California, USA, and hit a solo home run to center field in his first at-bat in the top of the first inning.

The opposing pitcher was Tomoyuki Sugano, a fellow Japanese national team player. In the bottom of the first inning, Ohtani, who was up first, connected with Sugano's third pitch, a 93.7 mph (approximately 150.8 km/h) fastball, sending it far over the center field wall. It was his ninth home run of the season, traveling 424 feet (approximately 131.7 meters) at a speed of 111.3 mph (approximately 179.1 km/h). According to MLB.com, this is only the third time in history a pitcher has hit a leadoff home run, with the most recent instance being Ohtani himself in Game 4 of last year's National League Championship Series.

The home run was even more surprising given that Ohtani had been hit by a pitch the previous day (27th), leaving his dual role as pitcher and hitter uncertain. On the 27th, at the same venue, while the Dodgers led 4-1 in the bottom of the fourth inning with one out and runners on second and third, Ohtani was hit on the wrist by a changeup from Colorado starter Kyle Freeland.

Fortunately, the pitch was not a hard one, so he reached first base and even ran the bases. He later scored on Andy Paredes' RBI single. However, he was replaced in the bottom of the fifth inning, raising concerns. After the game, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts held back on commenting, saying, "Ohtani will start as a pitcher on the 28th. But whether he will bat is uncertain."

It turned out to be mere speculation. Ohtani started as a pitcher today as well, immediately striking out the first batter, Jake McCarthy, with a 98.5 mph (158.5 km/h) fastball on just three pitches. He walked T.J. Rumfield but managed to close the top of the first inning without allowing any runs. He then immediately hit a home run in the bottom of the first, giving his team the lead.

<© STARNEWS. All rights reserved. No reproduction or redistribution allowed.>

*This content was translated by AI.