Watching the greatest player in Major League Baseball Shohei Ohtani is always a treat, but getting to see him take the mound and step into the batter’s box was an added sweetener for Boston Red Sox fans Monday afternoon.
During the Patriots’ Day matchup between the Red Sox and Los Angeles Angels, Ohtani took the mound for the rubber match, making his second career start at Fenway Park. But due to some hefty Boston precipitation, Ohtani was limited, pitching just two innings while going 2-for-5 at the plate with a pair of singles.
Nevertheless, after Los Angeles’ 5-4 victory, the 2023 World Baseball Classic MVP and soon-to-be unrestricted free agent shared his stance on pitching at America’s most beloved ballpark.
“It’s one of my favorite parks,” Ohtani told reporters, as seen on NESN’s postgame coverage. “I always look forward to pitching here but I like the conditions that allow me to have fun fully. But other than that I always look forward to pitching here.”
On May 5 of last season, Ohtani put on a clinic, striking out 11 Red Sox hitters while pitching seven scoreless innings in his Fenway Park debut.
Questions and answers alike are sure to raddle the online conspiracy theorists, but for now, Ohtani remains alongside Mike Trout on the West Coast. But it’s also hard to blame them.
The Angels are a dumpster fire. They’ve failed Trout, who they drafted in 2009, surrounding him with a cast that’s made just a single postseason appearance — a three-game sweep from the Kansas City Royals in the American League Division Series. And so far, it’s been a copy-and-paste type of story with Ohtani. The Angels are already eight consecutive playoff miss seasons down.
