Ohtani Shohei Strikes Out Five In Spring Debut
Two-way baseball star Ohtani Shohei of the Los Angeles Angels says he is happy with his first pitching performance in a spring training game against the Kansas City Royals.
Ohtani took the mound on Monday as a starter in Tempe, Arizona. He blanked his opponents, striking out four batters and giving up one hit in the first and second innings.
In the third inning, Ohtani struck out one more batter before Edward Olivares hit an RBI single up the middle.
Ohtani left the mound after throwing 50 pitches. He struck out five batters and gave up one run over 2 and 1/3 innings. His fastball was recorded at 159.3 kilometers per hour.
Ohtani said he didn't throw his splitter because he doesn't need to work on the pitch much in spring training.
He said he had enjoyed himself and achieved his main focus of the day, which was confirming the performance his drop-down pitches.
Ohtani said he is in good shape and wants to get fully prepared before the new season starts on April 7.