The highlights from Ohtani's first season in baseball show why he is one of the best players in the game. There is a time and a place for it.
Manager Joe Maddon said Friday that Shohei Ohtani will start on opening day for the Los Angeles Angels.
Just minutes after Ohtani was told of the assignment, Maddon made the announcement. It was not a surprise given Ohtani's excellent season and his standing in the Angels rotation.
Maddon said it just tastes right.
On April 7th, Ohtani will serve as the team's designated hitter and start against the Houston Astros. A new rule that was recently agreed to by Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association will allow Ohtani to hit in the lineup even after he leaves as a pitcher.
The first time in five years that Ohtani had pitched a full season, he improved as the season went on. The right-handed pitcher from Japan finished with a 9-2 record and a 3.18 earned run average in 23 starts, striking out 156 and walking 44. He was an easy choice for the American League Most Valuable Player Award because of his numbers.
Ohtani will join a six-man rotation with Noah Syndergaard, who has made only two pitching appearances over the past two seasons because of Tommy John surgery, and will include an assortment of young pitchers. Michael Lorenzen was once a two-way player and will be part of the mix.
Ohtani was the obvious choice to lead them.
Maddon said that Ohtani's reaction to the news was self-deprecating. He has a sense of humor. He is a good man.
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