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Out of more than 20,000 players taking part Major League BaseballThere has only been one All-Star as a pitcher and batsman.
shohei ohtani is unique, with a skill and inspiration that has not been repeated in 150 years.
“It’s amazing,” Dodgers teammate Freddy Freeman said. “Sometimes you just like to make sure there’s not a machine underneath it.”
Ohtani will showcase his unique two-way talent when he starts the World Series game 4 on the mound against Los Angeles toronto blue jays On Tuesday night. The start came nearly 17 hours after finishing one of the greatest games in Series history, setting an MLB record by reaching base nine times, including two homers and four extra-base hits in the 18-inning classic that ended on Freddy Freeman’s homer.
Ohtani hopes he is setting an example of what is possible and does not remain unique.
“I like to encourage kids who are trying to be a two-way street as long as possible, as long as they’re allowed to, as much as their talent level can take them,” he said through a translator.
Teammates who watch Ohtani closely aren’t convinced anyone else can do what he does. los angeles shortstop mookie betsThe eight-time All-Star, who has excelled in the infield and outfield, says desire isn’t enough to make a two-way player.
“Man, we have to be careful because not everybody is Shohei Ohtani. Not everybody is 6-4 (actually 6-3), no matter what he weighs, throws 100 (mph) and hits like that. There’s only one guy that can do that,” Bates said. “If there was more, I’m sure we would hear about it and learn about it. So I’m sure people would try. I’m not here to tell people not to try, but I’m here to understand that there’s a difference in abilities and just pure athleticism.”
The award for the best two-play player in college baseball is named after John Olerud, an All-American first baseman and pitcher at Washington State in the 1980s. He became an All-Star first baseman during a 17-season big league career but never played professionally.
Olerud Award winners include Brendan McKay, Spencer Schwellenbach and Paul Skenes, who hit 24 homers with 81 RBI in 100 games at Air Force in 2021 and 2022. His two-way career ended when he transferred to LSU for 2023.
“They stopped putting me in BP groups,” Skenes said. “I went to LSU and I stopped catching, but I was still hitting. And I wanted to keep hitting as long as I could, but the upside on the mound, I think, was a lot better than the upside hitting. So I left it, and I wasn’t too broken about it because we had an opportunity to win a national championship, and we did it. So I think it was worth it.”
Freeman was once a two-way player at El Modena High School. He doesn’t think about what would have happened if he had stayed on the mound.
He said, “If I had kept pitching my arm would have blown off, I promise you that.” “I was having elbow pain in high school.”
At age 31, Ohtani has a .282 average with 280 homers and 669 RBI in eight major league seasons – more career home runs than Hall of Famers Joe Morgan, Derek Jeter and Paul Molitor.
And Ohtani is 39-20 with a 3.00 ERA on the mound with 670 strikeouts in 528 2/23 innings, limited to 100 starts because he did not pitch in 2019 and 2024 after elbow surgery.
Ohtani’s 98.4 mph four-seam fastball velocity ranks seventh among starters who have thrown 500 or more pitches this season and his 94.9 mph exit velocity on batted balls is third among hitters who have seen 500 pitches, trailing only Oneil Cruz and Aaron Judge.
In Game 4 of the NL Championship Series against Milwaukee, he pitched six scoreless innings, striking out the side in the first inning and hitting three homers. Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred called it “probably the greatest game of all time.”
Fellow Dodgers starter Tyler Glasnow said, “He’s like a super human.”
Don’t expect another superman any time soon. The powers that be in the 30 major league organizations discourage two-way players.
“We haven’t seen a lot of switch-hitters either,” said New York Yankees special assistant Omar Minaya, former general manager of the New York Mets and Montreal Expos. “Relievers are innings, starters are starters, right-handed hitters are right-handed hitters, left-handed hitters are left-handed hitters. The game has evolved as a specialty game, which means it discourages versatility in how you play the game.”
Still, there are limits to Ohtani’s admiration. Blue Jays manager John Schneider will keep an eye on Ohtani during the season, when he will not be tied to his club, but only to a cap.
“They’re three hours behind us,” he said. “I’m always watching baseball, but if I’m tired and it’s time to get on the rack and he’s coming in to lead off the next inning, I’m sleeping.”
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