The Japanese Shohei ohtani opens against the New York Yankees, on Wednesday, in the third act in the Bronx of a unique and historic show for the Major League Baseball (MLB).
The Los Angeles Angels left-handed hitter and right-hander hit three home runs in the first two games of the series to take the overall lead of the season, with 28. With four RBIs in the last two days at Yankee Stadium, he reached 63 , the third highest figure in the major leagues.
As a pitcher, Ohtani reaches his 12th start in 2021 with a 3-1 record, a 2.58 ERA and 82 strikeouts in 59.1 innings, an average of 12.4 fanned per nine innings. The Anaheim “Ace” has worked at least five innings in eight of his starts, including five of at least six innings.
Generally, every feat by Ohtani relates to the legendary Babe Ruth, the only other instance of a successful two-way player in MLB. But not even “El Bambino” had a season similar to the one the 26-year-old Japanese is enjoying.
Ruth was a regular pitcher and occasional hitter for the Boston Red Sox for most of the time between 1915 and 1919 (when they traded him to the Yankees before the 1920 season, his new team decided to use him exclusively as a position player), but not it wasn’t until the last two seasons at Beantown that he gained prominence with the stick on his shoulder.
Ruth had four home runs and 20 RBIs in 103 appearances in 1915, three and 16 in 152 appearances in 1916, and two and 14 in 142 trips to the plate in 1917. He then began to be used more frequently as a hitter in 1918, when he led MLB with 11. home runs and drove in 61 runs in 382 appearances.
In 1919, “El Sultan del Swing” led MLB with 29 homers, 113 RBIs and 103 runs scored and had a 2.97 ERA and 30 strikeouts (2.0 for 9IP) in 133.1 innings and 15 starts. That was Ruth’s year closest to what Ohtani is currently doing.
With half a season to go, Ohtani is one home run away from equaling Ruth for the most for players who also made at least 10 monticular starts. Better yet, Ohtani is two home runs away from being the first pitcher-hitter in history with at least 30 home runs (his actual projection per day is to exceed 50) while surpassing 100 innings and 100 strikeouts in a year.
In addition to home runs and RBIs, Ohtani has 17 doubles and 11 stolen bases and leads the American League in triples and slugging. His OPS (the sum of the percentages of reaching bases and connecting with power) is 1,049, the third highest in MLB, only behind the Dominicans. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Y Fernando Tatis Jr.
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Enjoy Shohei Ohtani’s 19 home runs this season, after committing to participate in the Home Run Festival in Colorado.
Ohtani the batter has hit 11 home runs in the past 13 games, the second most in a similar stretch for an Angels player. His 28 homers tied the franchise record of Mike trout, before the All-Star Game.
Ohtani the pitcher is 2-0 with a 2.35 ERA and 32 strikeouts in 23.0 innings in his last four outings.
Elite hitter and pitcher routinely in one season.
That’s something that no one has done in a century and a half in the major leagues. Not Ruth, not anyone else.
Ohtani’s show is unique and historical.
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