On Tuesday night, Los Angeles Angels ace Shohei Ohtani tossed seven shutout innings in a win over the lowly Washington Nationals.
It wasn’t Ohtani’s smoothest outing: he walked five and struck out six, which is an uncharacteristic ratio.
It didn’t matter, though: he still managed to keep the Nats off the scoreboard and ended up securing a victory.
He’s working on an impressive ten-start streak of allowing two earned runs or fewer if we go back to 2022.
That wasn’t his only contribution to the Angels’ victory: he also went 1-for-4 as a hitter.
You can say he has earned a day off given the usage he has been getting lately, dating back to spring training and the World Baseball Classic.
“Angels lineup today with Brett Phillips getting his first start. Ohtani has the day off,” Angels insider Sam Blum tweeted.
Angels lineup today with Brett Phillips getting his first start. Ohtani has the day off. pic.twitter.com/0t2ySVuZUl
— Sam Blum (@SamBlum3) April 12, 2023
Fellow star Mike Trout will be the designated hitter, which is Ohtani’s usual spot when he is in the lineup.
If there is a team with which the Angels can afford to give Ohtani a day off against, it’s probably the Nationals.
They are last in the NL East division with a 4-8 record.
Still, fans will surely miss Ohtani on the field provided he doesn’t make a pinch-hit appearance.
The former MVP took his ERA to a phenomenal 0.47 after Tuesday’s outing.
He keeps improving and posting impressive numbers for us to be amazed.
We could be about to witness his best season yet, which would be saying a lot considering the performances he had in 2021 and 2022.
He is a truly unique player.
NEXT: Shohei Ohtani Had Another Must-See Performance On Tuesday
