The main two candidates for the MVP Award of the American League will meet in the Angel Stadium Thursday, when the Japanese superstar and of the moment in MLB, Shohei ohtani, will start on the mound against the Tiles and, therefore, must throw the Dominican slugger, Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
Ohtani has been making history this season, hitting .269 / .362 / .653 with 37 homers in 106 games as a major league-leading hitter while also making 16 starts on the mound and is 6-1. with 2.93 ERA and 106 strikeouts in 86 innings. And Guerrero hit his 35th home run Sunday and leads the league in on-base percentage and RBIs.
Angels manager Joe Maddon believes Ohtani is the favorite for the award, even though the Angels are currently fourth in the AL West and on the fringes of the Wild Card chase. Toronto is also fourth in the AL East, but came five games ahead of the Angels on Monday.
“There is a precedent with A-Rod winning the MVP while he was in last place,” Maddon said, alluding to Alex Rodriguez in 2003 with the Rangers. “It will come down to semantics and bias. But this guy is doing things that have never been done. He has been incredible on offense and pitching. How could you get away from it? He has been the most valuable player in baseball. “
Ohtani was relegated to pinch-hitting service last weekend against the Dodgers with NL rules in place. But he is expected to return to the lineup as the designated hitter on Tuesday, when the Angels receive a doubleheader against the Blue Jays.
Ohtani had a great at-bat Saturday night when he came in to pinch-hit in a tied game with two runners and two outs in the eighth against reliever Brusdar Graterol. Maddon wasn’t sure if the Dodgers would pitch to Ohtani, but they did and Graterol eventually struck out Ohtani with a 102 mph fastball in an eventual 5-3 loss to the Angels.
“There was an open base and I wasn’t sure what they were going to do,” Maddon said. “But we did our shot right there. Graterol had been pitching really well, so they went with him. Shohei hits the fastballs as well as anyone. There was a call that put him on a bad account and that makes a difference. But I passed Miguel Cabrera on three consecutive nights with two outs and runners on first and second. “
Ohtani walked his only plate appearance in the eighth on Sunday when the Angels lost the final game of the series to the Dodgers, 8-2. Thursday will mark the first start of his career against Guerrero and the Blue Jays.
Rhett Bollinger / MLB.com
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