Manager Dave Roberts couldn't hide his surprise at Shohei Ohtani's high-speed hit.
Ohtani started the 2024 game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rodgers Center in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on the 28th (Korea time) as the second designated hitter and posted one hit and one RBI in five at-bats.
Attention was focused on the showdown between the Japanese players. It was a meeting between Ohtani and Yusei Kikuchi of Toronto. Both are from Hanaki-Higashi. Kikuchi is three years older.
Since then, both have made it to the major leagues. This time, the order has changed. Ohtani signed with the Los Angeles Angels ahead of the 2018 season, becoming their first major league senior. The following year, Kikuchi signed with the Seattle Mariners.
Before today's game, the two players had 20 two-hit games. Ohtani was strong against Kikuchi. He batted .300, six hits, three homers, four RBIs, one walk, six strikeouts, and an OPS of 1.133.
On this day, he also hit against Kikuchi. It was also the first day Ohtani met in a Dodgers uniform.
Ohtani, who appeared in the top of the first inning with no outs and third base, hit Kikuchi's 97.3 miles (about 156 kilometers) four-seam fastball and was caught and handled by second baseman Cavan Biggio.
However, he didn't miss an opportunity in his second at bat, either. In the top of the second inning, with runners on the first and third bases with two outs, he hit a four-seam fastball to the right. The batting speed was incredible. It was a whopping 119.2 miles (1192 kilometers). It was Ohtani's personal best and fastest exit speed of a big league player this season.
In his third at-bat in the top of the fourth inning, he struck out. He finished with one hit, an RBI, and a strikeout from three times at bat.
According to Sports Hochi, Ohtani fouled Darvish in his second at-bat in the third inning of the Seoul Series on the 20th of last month, and again this time he recorded a 119.2 mph exit speed. This time it was a foul, but this time the ball went to the ground.
The captain was also surprised. Roberts said, "Otani's batting is hot. What surprised me was that Ohtani is controlling the strike zone. It's amazing that he can hit low balls." He continued his praise on the player, saying, "Good things will happen if you control the strike zone like this."
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