Shohei Ohtani Makes History

 

MLB fans are well aware of how magnificent of a season Shohei Ohtani is having. When he first signed with the Los Angeles Angels back in 2018, there was a plethora of hype. Now that he is fully healthy and dominating the league, he sure is living up to it. He even set a new achievement yesterday, as he is the first All-Star to be picked as both a player and pitcher. That is simply remarkable. 

When looking at his statistics this season, it is surely warranted. As a position player, Ohtani has a league-leading 31 home runs to go along with 67 RBIs. He also is hitting for contact quite well, as he has a respectable .278 batting average. Another underrated element of his season is that he also has 12 stolen bases. This makes him a true offensive threat in every aspect of the game. 

He has been pitching very well, too. He is currently sporting a 3-1 record and 3.60 ERA. He has struck out 83 batters, too, so it is clearly not a walk in the park facing him. These are very impressive statistics for a pitcher who hadn't taken the mound with any true regularity since 2018. He didn't pitch at all in 2019 and only did twice in 2020. Therefore, his ability to once again be a two-way player warrants so much praise. 

Ohtani is having a year for the ages and all baseball fans should appreciate it. There has never a player like him in the modern era of baseball and perhaps never will be after him. 

Photo Credit: © Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports