The anticipated show-down between rivals of Japanese baseball, the Mariner Yusei Kikuchi and Angel Shohei Ohtani turned out to be one-sided. Ohtani smoked him, going 2 for 3, hitting a home run to cap a back-to-back-to-back power outburst in the fourth, leaving Kikuchi hanging his head, perhaps the baseball equivalent of seppeku.
All the joy of the previous night's well played win, quickly disappeared when the Angels used seven hits, one walk, a hit batter and, of course, an error, to score three times before LaStella, Trout and Ohtani started the home run derby. Kikuchi followed with two more walks before getting yanked for a reliever who, of course, allowed an inherited run to score.
The drama of the three consecutive home runs was intensified by the fact that all this occurred over the course of four pitches. LaStella hit the first pitch, Trout took a ball before hitting his out, Ohtani hit the next pitch. It's good there was a mound visit before Ohtani's at bat, or all of this would have unfolded in the course of two minutes.
If this is a learning season, what's to be learned from last night? Don't ever throw Ohtani a 75-mph hanging curveball.
No comments:
Post a Comment