Los Angeles Angels star Shohei Ohtani is not only leading the league in home runs with 31, but he is also sporting a solid 3.32 ERA as a pitcher in 100.1 innings.
You won’t find anyone who can both pitch and hit in the majors, let alone be a star at both activities.
Unfortunately, Tuesday wasn’t a positive day for the spectacular Ohtani on the bump.
He conceded five runs in five innings, and couldn’t solve the San Diego Padres lineup.
In the process, we saw him as vulnerable as he has been as a pitcher in a while.
He conceded consecutive home runs for the first time as a major leaguer, per SportsCenter.
Shohei Ohtani gives up back-to-back home runs for the first time in his career 😱
(via @MLB)pic.twitter.com/FwpXuZRJLy
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) July 5, 2023
First, it was shortstop Xander Bogaerts as the one who sent the ball over the fence with a runner on base to put the game at 4-1 in favor of the Friars.
Then, Jake Cronenworth made history with a solo shot that represented the first time in his MLB career Ohtani has conceded back-to-back long balls.
He is usually very stingy with homers as a pitcher; he prefers to hit them as opposed to allow them.
But he wasn’t at his finest and was also dealing with a blister.
He might be a little tired at this point and will likely take advantage of the short All-Star break.
Still, he is expected to play in the Midsummer Classic but the impact will be lower.
He remains the Angels’ ace and most important player, especially now that his co-star Mike Trout has hit the injured list and won’t be able to help for a while.
NEXT: Shohei Ohtani Comments On His All-Star Game Status