Los Angeles Dodgers two-way star Shohei Ohtani made his second pitching start Sunday against the Washington Nationals.
Ohtani went one inning as he continues to build back up. The 18-pitch performance featured 12 strikes, no earned runs and no hits.
The right-hander threw his first strikeout as a Dodger against Luis Garcia Jr. Ohtani’s second start on the mound was much sharper than his first, and he would’ve retired the side in order had Mookie Betts not dropped a pop-up because of the sun.
Ohtani continued to display his greatness as he went 2-for-5 with a home run, triple, three runs and five RBIs Sunday.
It took just over two minutes between Ohtani’s pitching performance and the Dodgers’ two-way star leading off in the bottom of the first. There are several people wondering whether that kind of quick transition is sustainable for Ohtani.
Manager Dave Roberts admitted the Dodgers could move Ohtani down in the lineup in order to preserve the two-way star; however, the unicorn of Major League Baseball has showed no signs of slowing down, according to the Dodgers skipper.
“I think right now we’ll play it status quo, but you know coming out of this one (start against the Nationals) it might make more sense to drop to second or third or fourth,” Roberts said of moving Ohtani out of the leadoff role. “But right now, we’ll remain status quo. I have not seen signs of fatigue.”
Photo Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images
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