Even though the Los Angeles Angels are 52-69 and very much out of the playoff picture, star two-way player Shohei Ohtani understands what he means to the city and to baseball in general.
He started Sunday’s game between the Angels and the Detroit Tigers despite being sick.
Talking with the media, he explained his reasoning.
“Shohei Ohtani on why he decided to start today despite being sick (via @CodyStavenhagen): ‘I was penciled in to start today. Just because I was sick I wasn’t going to avoid it. I was already set,'” The Athletic’s Sam Blum, who covers the Angels, tweeted.
Shohei Ohtani on why he decided to start today despite being sick (via @CodyStavenhagen): "I was penciled in to start today. Just because I was sick I wasn’t going to avoid it. I was already set."
— Sam Blum (@SamBlum3) August 21, 2022
Ohtani certainly wasn’t at his best, but he was far from a disaster: in four innings, he allowed three earned runs.
Evidently, he wasn’t as sharp as he usually is, conceding nine baserunners (five hits and four walks) against just two strikeouts.
Ohtani Wasn’t Stopped By Being Sick
However, with the Angels out of the race, he understood that there might be at least one person making the trip to the stadium dreaming about watching him pitch.
He understands that at least one family made an important financial commitment just to see him in action.
Despite the results of his outings, those people and those families are going to tell their loved ones that they saw perhaps the most unique player of our generation show off his talents.
Ohtani has a good shot at winning his second consecutive MVP award.
He is hitting .265/.357/.516 with 27 home runs as a batter.
As a pitcher, he has an incredible 2.83 ERA in 121 frames.
Basically, he performs like an ace AND as a cleanup hitter, all while occupying one roster spot.
He is a true stud.
NEXT: Was Firing Joe Maddon The Right Move for The Angels?
