Shohei Ohtani is undoubtedly one of the biggest names in the game currently. The Japanese sensation has been striking fear into the hearts of his opponents with his presence on the mound as well as at the plate. Now the two-way phenom has carved another piece of history that has further set him apart from other players in the ballgame.
While a dubious rumor circulated on Twitter that Ohtani was training to pitch left-handed, it turned out to be an April Fool’s joke. However, given his versatility, it wouldn’t have been surprising if it were true. Nonetheless, Sho-time went on to make an unexpected mark in baseball history during a game against the Seattle Mariners. He became the first player ever to receive pitch clock violations, both as a pitcher and a hitter, in the same game.
Shohei Ohtani once again pushed the boundaries of what’s possible in the ballpark
The Halos star made history yet again on Wednesday, this time with an unusual situation. The home plate umpire, Pat Hoberg, issued a pitch clock violation against Shohei Ohtani during the first inning of the game. Resulting in a free ball for the Seattle Mariners’ Cal Raleigh.
Shohei's always making history 😅
Ohtani is the first player to have a pitch clock violation as both a pitcher and a hitter. pic.twitter.com/Dou5z6xjM5
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) April 6, 2023
Later in the game, Sho was facing off against pitcher Matt Brash. He took more than eight seconds to step into the batter’s box. As a result, the umpire gave him another pitch clock violation, this time resulting in an automatic strike.
However, the violations didn’t seem to faze the Japanese star. He finished his outing on the mound with only one run allowed on three hits and four walks over six innings, with eight strikeouts. In his plate appearances, he walked twice and hit an RBI single. Despite the distractions, the Angels won 4-3 against the Mariners in their third game against them this season.
The pitch-clock violation confused the Halos star
It’s not uncommon for players to be confused by the new pitch-clock rules. After the first pitch clock violation, Shohei Ohtani was visibly confused. He then spent two halves of innings asking the umpire about the reasoning behind the call. And it looked like things were cleared up after talking to the umpire. And the two-way sensation understood what the violation was for.
Shohei Ohtani spends the entire half-inning meeting with home-plate umpire Pat Hoberg about his warning and pitch clock violation.
It seemed like Ohtani thought it was related to his windup, but looked like it was actually about establishing eye contact with the hitter. pic.twitter.com/XsDw8pwWck
— Daniel Kramer (@DKramer_) April 5, 2023
Ohtani believed that the violation was related to his windup. But it was actually about establishing eye contact with the hitter.
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