Tag: Shohei Ohtani

Shohei Ohtani acaba de tener una de las semanas más increíbles en la historia de la MLB

Lo que Ohtani ha estado haciendo en el montículo y en el plato durante su tiempo con los Angels ha sido genial.

Sentimos que no estamos hablando lo suficiente acerca de Shohei Ohtani.

Es fácil que suceda, lo entendemos. Juega para los Angels, quienes están decayendo, otra vez, y el equipo de AL Oeste muchas veces se pierde en todo el ajetreo.

Pero lo que hizo la semana pasada es bastante increíble y es algo de lo que todos deberíamos estar escribiéndoles a nuestros amigos.

Si se lo perdieron…

El martes bateó 3 home runs de 3 carreras contra los Royals y terminó con 8 RBIs, lo que fue una carrera más y un nuevo récord para la MLB para un jugador nacido en Japón.

La siguiente noche tomó el montículo y sacó a 13 Royals dejando pasar solo dos hits en 8 entradas en su tercer triunfo consecutivo en el montículo. Ah, también recibió un golpe y dos bases por bola mientras bateaba segundo en la alineación durante ese juego.

Luego, el sábado por la noche bateó el home run más fuerte de su carrera, el cual lanzó volando bien arriba en las gradas del campo a la derecha del Big A. Chequen esto.

Increíble.

Lo que Ohtani ha estado haciendo en el montículo y en el plato durante su tiempo con los Angels ha sido genial. Y ha hecho que todo sea vea tan fácil también, lo cual quizás haga más fácil que nosotros simplemente nos olvidemos de sus logros y no perdamos la cabeza por ello.

Pero una semana como la que acaba de pasar perece un poco más de atención porque, vaya, este hombre es irreal.

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Shohei Ohtani just had one of the coolest weeks in baseball history

Shohei Ohtani rules.

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I feel like we’re not talking about Shohei Ohtani enough.

It’s easy to do, I get it. He plays for the Angels, who are slumping yet again, and the AL West team often gets lost in the shuffle.

But what he did this past week was pretty darn incredible and is something we should all be texting our friends about.

If you missed it…

On Tuesday he hit two 3-run home runs against the Royals and finished with 8 RBIs, which was a career high and a new MLB record for a Japanese-born player.

The next night he took the mound and struck out 13 Royals while giving up just two hits in 8 innings of work for his third straight win on the bump. Oh, he also got a hit and two walks while batting second in the lineup in that game.

Then on Saturday night he hit the hardest hit home run of his career, which he sent flying way up into the right field stands at the Big A. Look at this thing.

Incredible.

What Ohtani has been doing on the mound and the plate during his time with the Angels has been so cool. He’s made it all look so easy, too, which might make it easier for us to just skip over and not lose our minds about it.

But a week like the one he just had deserves a little extra attention because man, he’s just unreal.

Quick hits: Colorado wins the Stanley Cup and then dents the Cup… Bad umping leads to huge brawl… Bryce Harper’s classy reaction… And more. 

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

– The Colorado Avalanche won the Stanley Cup last night in Tampa and it didn’t take them long to dent the legendary trophy.

– Speaking of the Angels – some terrible umping led to a huge brawl in yesterday’s Mariners-Angels game.

– MLB fans loved Bryce Harper’s classy reaction after being hit by a pitch that broke his thumb.

– A pro golfer dropped two perfect F-bombs to explain how hard golf is after winning a DP World Tour tournament yesterday in Germany.

– A Mariners fan did a sweet thing yesterday after Jesse Winkler got ejected – she ordered him a pizza.

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Shohei Ohtani absolutely crushed a home run and MLB fans were in awe of the sound it made

The SOUND this made. Wow.

Shohei Ohtani continues to be the coolest baseball player in the world. And he just had himself one of the coolest weeks that I have ever seen from a Major League Baseball player.

On Tuesday against the Kansas City Royals he hit two 3-run home runs and finished the game with 8 RBI.

On Wednesday against the same Royals he took the mound and struck out a career-high 13 batters in eight innings of work.

Just ridiculously awesome stuff.

Last night he did something awesome again – he hit the hardest home run of his career (the ball left his bat at 118 mph) that traveled a million miles.

Oh, and listen to how this SOUNDED:

Unreal.

The Angels lost the game but whatever, let’s just celebrate that home run.

Twitter did:

Shohei Ohtani’s career night spoiled by extra inning loss because the Angels can’t have nice things

Why are the Angels like this?

It is absolutely incredible that the Los Angeles Angels have the best player in baseball in Mike Trout and the most amazing player in baseball in Shohei Ohtani, and yet no matter what those two players do, L.A. just can’t win.

It never gets easier to comprehend. Nights like Tuesday in Anaheim only add to that confusion.

The Angels entered the day -180 on the moneyline at Tipico for a home matchup against a Kansas City team in the depths of a rebuild and dead last in the American League Central. Naturally, Ohtani absolutely teed off on them.

The superstar mashed two three-run homers and finished with a career-high eight runs batted on the night as the Angels bullied their way through eight Royals pitchers. All of which resulted in a 12-11 loss in 11 innings.

Just look at this box score and try to resist the urge to walk into the ocean. One of these teams was trying to win. The other couldn’t really care less if it lost:

via MLB

Now imagine betting on this Angels team. Night after night they field a lineup featuring some of the most talented athletes in the world and night after night they remain under .500.

Not only are the Angels 34-37 against the spread this season, they are 17-20 against the spread at home and 23-24 against the spread as a favorite. There may not be a more frustrating team to back in any pro sport.

And once again, this tweet remains the most relevant and concise commentary on the ball club in Anaheim.

Shohei Ohtani had the perfect, relieved reaction to the Angels snapping their 14-game losing streak

Whew!

After all the awful stuff that’s happened to the Los Angeles Angels — from losing 14 games in a row to firing manager Joe Maddon to playing Nickelback for walkup songs (I kid, that wasn’t THAT awful) — the team finally won a game, beating the Boston Red Sox 5-2.

And that was all thanks to Shohei Ohtani’s unreal performance.

He allowed just one run in seven innings and struck out six. At the plate, he hit his 12th home run in a 2-for-4 night. Once again, he’s amazing, even if his team isn’t.

His reaction after the final out? He looked at the sky with serious relief on his face:

Shohei Ohtani only addresses Tyler Wade as ‘Ikemen’ because everyone in Japan hilariously thinks he’s hot

Imagine a whole country thinking you’re cute. Wow.

Imagine waking up one day just doing your job. It’s a regular day for you. Until one of your co-workers tells you that, apparently, everyone from their home country thinks you’re pretty cute.

Actually, no. Pretty cute is an understatement here. Imagine finding out that everyone back home refers to you as “hot guy.”

That’s wild, right? But, apparently, it’s a reality for Angels’ second baseman Tyler Wade.

The Angels are famous over in Japan because of Shohei Ohtani. Sports Illustrated’s Stephanie Apstein wrote a brilliant profile on Ohtani and, in it, she reveals that Ohtani’s shine actually rubs off quite a bit on the rest of his Angels teammates, too.

For Wade, in particular, that seems like a pretty great thing. And maybe a bit of an ego trip.

Here’s why: He’s referred to as “Ikemen” over in Japan. What does that mean? Hot guy. Yes. Seriously. Apstein has more.

“Many Angels are famous in Japan because they keep showing up in photos of Ohtani; he recently informed Wade that the second baseman has many admirers abroad, and he now only addresses him as “ikemen,” which means ‘hot guy.’,”

That’s hilarious. I cannot imagine how that goes over in Wade’s head. A whole country thinking you’re cute? Nah. Don’t let that happen to me. Y’all couldn’t tell me nothing after I find that out.

The internet thought this was hilarious.

Shohei Ohtani amazingly knocked his own number off the Green Monster scoreboard

That sound …

There really hasn’t been a player like Shohei Ohtani in generations, and Thursday’s game against the Boston Red Sox was just another reminder of that.

The two-way star pitched seven scoreless innings with 11 strikeouts, throwing 81 of 99 pitches for strikes (!!!). But Ohtani didn’t just stop with a dominant outing on the mound. He found ways to amaze us all with the bat as well.

After hitting one of the longer singles you’ll ever see in a Major League game, Ohtani wreaked more havoc on Fenway Park. Hitting with the bases loaded in the eighth inning, Ohtani lined a single off the Green Monster that somehow took out his own number.

How’s that for precision? Also, that sound. I mean, the guy is just incredible.

Ohtani ended up going 2 for 4 on the day (along with the 7 innings, 11 strikeouts on the mound). The Angels won, 8-0. and MLB fans were understandably impressed.

An odd sequence in the Fenway outfield had Shohei Ohtani hitting a nearly 400-foot single

He really does it ALL.

Shohei Ohtani manages to pull off an absolutely incredible feat almost every game, and Thursday’s matchup with the Boston Red Sox was no exception.

He hit one of the deepest singles you’ll ever see in a big-league game.

Ohtani — the starting pitcher for the game — stepped up to the plate in the fourth inning with Taylor Ward on first base, and he ripped a deep shot to straightaway center field. Now, Fenway Park has notoriously strange dimensions, and the wall jets out towards right-center field at the 420 mark. That’s normally tough enough for any outfielder, but Jackie Bradley Jr. also had to deal with the sun.

He lost the ball in the warning track as it hit the wall and ricocheted back off his leg.

But since nothing about Ohtani is predictable, the Angels star ended up at first base after all that — a 389-foot single that would have been a homer in 11 MLB ballparks.

It wasn’t all Ohtani’s fault, though.

Ward, seeing the deep fly ball, went back to tag at first base rather than watch it halfway. So, Ohtani had to wait for Ward to take off, and by that point, he wasn’t in any rush to stretch it to a double since he was also pitching. Ward ended up at third base, but the Angels would strand both runners.

Still, fans had plenty of thoughts on that DEEP single.

The best bets to make your 4/20 holiday even more green

Plus, if these tickets lose, you’ve got extra rolling papers now.

Well, well, well, if it isn’t our old friend, 4/20 — a day that might rival the opening weekend of the NCAA tournament and the Monday after the Super Bowl when it comes to lack of productivity.

But who says you can’t unwind and make money at the same time? Certainly not us.

In fact, we’ve spent the morning combing through the lines to look at some of the best 4/20-themed bets you should feel free to parlay. With three NBA playoff matchups, four NHL tilts and 16 MLB games on tap today, there’s plenty to choose from.

Here’s a handy guide for some extra holiday fun. Just make sure to celebrate responsibly.

All odds via Tipico

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Week 2 fantasy baseball start, sit or drop: Ohtani’s rollercoaster start and CJ Abrams kinda arrives

Shohei Ohtani just needed a few extra games to warm up. Trent Grisham, Patrick Corbin and Nick Pivetta still need a bit more time.

What a wild opening week for managers with Shohei Ohtani on their roster.

The two-way Japanese star offers plenty more rewards than risk in fantasy lineups, but for those who have to designate him as a pitcher or a hitter, the first matchup of the fantasy season initially left many thinking spring training ended too soon.

When the Los Angeles Angels gave Ohtani the ball on Opening Day, it seemed like the safer play would be to keep him in fantasy lineups as a hitter. The short spring meant he probably wouldn’t throw more than four innings and the visiting Houston Astros have a lineup that can make even the game’s best pitchers look like little leaguers.

So of course Ohtani went 4.2 innings with nine strikeouts, one walk, four hits and one earned run. At the same time, he went 0-4 at the dish with one strikeout. Ouch.

A week later Ohtani was back on the mound at the Texas Rangers getting shelled for six earned runs in 3.2 innings. He struck out five while allowing two walks, six hits and a home run. And in between those outings Ohtani slashed an anti-climatic .200/.231/.280 with 0 RBI and nine strikeouts. Double ouch.

How did Ohtani respond? First he gave his bat CPR. Then he launched three home runs in two games against Texas and busted the slump as only a reigning MVP can.

Yeah, he’s going to be just fine this season. Not that there was any doubt.

Here are a few other players with bigger question marks to begin the year and how to handle them.

All stats through Sunday, April 17