In a moment that true baseball fans will never forget, Shohei Ohtani struck out Mike Trout to secure Team Japan the 2023 World Baseball Classic over Team USA. Well, in just a few days Ohtani will be facing off against Trout for the first time since and the second time ever. The Los Angeles Dodgers will be heading east on the freeway to play the Los Angeles Angels, and Ohtani will be taking the mound during the series finale on August 13th.
It should be absolute cinema, right? Well, it depends on who you ask.
Dave Roberts waters down Shohei Ohtani’s pitching return vs. LA Angels with snark
Dave Roberts said Shohei Ohtani’s next pitching outing will be Wednesday in Anaheim. Plan is for him to go four innings.
Will it be an emotional return? “Not really,” Roberts said.
Roberts’ tepid response to a reporter trying to egg him on makes sense in that Ohtani has played in Anaheim a handful of times as a designated hitter since joining the Dodgers. He was booed by a smattering of fans on Opening Night of 2024 despite being engrained into the fabric of this franchise thanks to his multiple MVPs as a dominant hitter and pitcher. A lot has happened for the two-way superstar since leaving Trout and the Angels behind, but on the surface it seems like his return to the Angels Stadium mound would mean a lot for him emotionally. We get it, Dave. He’s onto bigger and better things now.
Wednesday will be Ohtani’s 48th start in Angels Stadium. Ohtani has a career 2.22 ERA, 3.02 FIP and a 1.01 WHIP at the Big A, as well as an 11.67 K/9, 0.88 HR/9 and 6.07 H/9. In layman’s terms — Ohtani shoves when he pitches in Anaheim. The last time Ohtani’s pitched at Angels Stadium was during the first game of a doubleheader on August 23rd, 2023, obviously as a member of the Angels, and he tore his UCL in that outing against the Reds. Pitching here again should be a closed-loop type of game for Ohtani.
Ohtani dominated the Cardinals in his last start on August 6th, his only time pitching 4 innings in a game this season. He allowed 2 hits, 1 earned run, posted an 8:0 K:BB and caused MLB Network to claim that the Dodgers won the game they ultimately lost 5-3. Ohtani has two starts of pitching 1 inning, two starts of going 2 innings, three starts of going 3 and now is going for his second game of going 4 against his former teammates in Trout, Taylor Ward, Zach Neto, Jo Adell, Luis Rengifo and Logan O’Hoppe.
Angels fans will be excited to see Ohtani pitch again because of the nostalgia and just how good he is. He methodically picks batters apart with a deep, nasty array of pitches with crazy spin and velocity. It will either be a trip down memory lane for fans if Ohtani carves the Angels up, or a hearty laugh if he gets teed off of. It might not be emotional for Ohtani, but fans are hoping the Angels’ lineup makes him emotional.
