In June, Ohtani Shohei (29, LA Angels), who is really bombing the Major League (MLB), added another home run. The team played an important role in every hurdle, but the team was defeated.
On the 18th (Korean time), Ohtani played as the Angels’ 2nd designated hitter in the 2023 Major League (MLB) away game against Kansas City held at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri, USA, 1 hit in 4 at-bats (1 home run), 2 RBI, 1 run recorded.스포츠토토
Ohtani, who was out with a fly ball to the right fielder in the first base situation without a single player at the beginning of the first inning, went quietly in the beginning as he retreated with a ground ball to the second baseman in the third inning. However, in the beginning of the 5th inning when the team was leading 3-2, he hit a ground ball in front of the second baseman from 1st and 3rd base, but with a quick foot, he was judged safe at 1st base and ran away. However, he was tagged out on a subsequent stealing second base attempt.
Shohei Ohtani (right) is out while attempting to steal second base in the top of the 5th inning against Kansas City on the 18th (Korean time).
In the fourth at-bat, the cannon finally exploded. Ohtani, who appeared after one out in the top of the 7th inning, attacked Kansas City right-hander Taylor Clark’s first high fastball and hit a solo home run that went over the middle fence. As soon as Ohtani was hit, he slowly headed toward first base as if he had intuition that it was a home run.
This home run was Ohtani’s 23rd home run of the season. His exit velocity was 110 miles per hour (about 177 km) and the distance was 437 feet (about 133.2 m). Even though less than ⅔ of June had passed, he already hit his 8th home run and showed off his good sense of hitting. In particular, in his last 10 games, he is showing extraordinary strength, passing the batted ball over the fence 7 times. Although he has not yet reached half of the season (89 games remaining / 162 total games), he has already surpassed 20 home runs and is preparing to hit the 40 home run mark for the first time in two years after 2021 (46 home runs).
Previously, on the 17th, the first day of the series, Kansas City coach Matt Quatraro said, “I don’t know how to stop (Ohtani), but… He’s the most amazing player I’ve ever seen on the planet. He seems like he can do anything, so we have a really good pitch. I think I should do it,” he said. However, in the end, Ohtani’s production of cannons could not be stopped.
Even at the end of the game, Ohtani contributed to the team’s lead. At the beginning of the ninth inning, when the score was 8-8, Ohtani actually got a walk close to intentional 4 pitches in a situation with 1 out and 3 base, and survived to 1st base. The Angels, who continued their chance, scored a run on a timely hit by the next hitter, Mike Trout, and took a 9-8 lead again.
However, the team lost again, 9-10. The Angels allowed 3 runs each in the 7th and 8th innings, when they were leading 8-2, and allowed the score to be tied 8-8. In the beginning of the ninth inning, he took the lead again, but at the end of the ninth, he tied the score again, and in the end, he allowed the end and lost in vain.